Black ribbons, silent march: Congress protest in Hyderabad

The protesters tied black ribbons across their mouths and observed a silent protest.

Hyderabad: Congress leaders and workers took out a protest march to the Gandhi statue near Fateh Darwaza in the Bahadurpura Assembly constituency here on Thursday, July 23, condemning the alleged police lathi-charge on students protesting at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and the detention of senior Congress leaders.

The march, from Chandulal Baradari to Fateh Darwaza, was led by Pulipati Rajesh Kumar, a Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Election Commission Coordination Committee member and the party’s in-charge for the Bahadurpura constituency. Party workers raised slogans against the central government and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan during the rally.

As part of the demonstration, the protesters tied black ribbons across their mouths and observed a silent protest, which they said symbolised their opposition to the alleged suppression of democratic voices.

Addressing the gathering, Rajesh Kumar alleged that students and citizens exercising their democratic right to protest had been subjected to police action and criticised the detention of Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other party leaders during the protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence.

The Congress leaders demanded the resignation of Pradhan, holding him responsible for the police action, and sought a public apology from Union Home Minister Amit Shah to the students and the public. They also demanded action against the officials allegedly involved in the lathi-charge and the withdrawal of cases registered against students who took part in the Jantar Mantar protest.