Irom Sharmila Solidarity rally winds its way to Kanpur
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, October 21 2011: The Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign Rally from Kashmir to Imphal, which was flagged off from Hajratbal, Srinagar on October 16, reached Kanpur last night.

Providing an update on the campaign rally from Kanpur, Irom Singjajit, brother of Sharmila informed that on arrival at Kanpur at around 8.40 pm yesterday, members of Servant for People Society welcomed the campaigners with lighted candles in hands and at around 10.30 am today, a mass meeting was held at Harihar Nath, Sashtri Bhavan.

Being supported by Asian Centre for Social Studies, NAPM, Asha Parivar, Yuva Koshish, Khudai Khidmatgar, ANHAD, INSAF, Manushi, Sadbhav Mission, Mission Bhartiyam, COVA, SAMAR, Le Sashale, WTCP, Society for Youth Development, Rights Initiative, Awam Ka Cinema, PEACE, Just Peace Foundation, J &K RTI Movement, Chinab Welfare & Education Society, Manila Chetna Kendra, CRSJS (Kerala), IRRT (Kashmir) SIO, Centre for Social Centre, etc with TwoCircles.Net as media partner, the campaign rally had been flagged off jointly by social activists Medha Patkar, Sandeep Pande and Singhajit from Hajratbal, Srinagar at around 2.30 pm on October 16 .

The following day, at around 3 am, the campaigners were accorded warm welcome by the public who were waiting at Gurdwara.

Jammu.

At around 11 am of the same day, a meeting attended by around 200 people was held at Jammu University.

Leaving behind Jammu, the campaigners set out for Ludhiana, Punjab at around 2 pm.

When they alighted from the train at around 7.30 pm, a large number of people were waiting for them at the railway station of Ludhiana with lighted candles in their hands.

From the railway station, a rally was taken out till Raja Guru Sukhdev Singh Chowk, covering a distance of three and half kilometres.

After the rally, a press meet was convened there.

In the early morning of October 18, Prof Jagamohan Singh, grandson of Raja Guru Sukhdev Bhagat Singh, himself escorted the campaigners till the railway station for their journey ahead.

After passing through Ambala and Kurukshetra, the campaigners reached Taraori of Karnal at around 1 pm where members of Sarva Sewa Sangh, Haryana welcomed them.

Later on, a press meet was held at Guru Tegbahadur Kanya Mahavidyalaya.

After the press meet, Chairman of Sarva Sewa Sangh Mahavir Tyagi escorted the campaigners till Panipat in a 407 Tata.

When the campaigners reached Bishkrama Mandir, another press meet was convened at around 8 pm.

After the press meet, Mahavir Tyagi left for Karnal while the campaigners for New Delhi in a local train in the early morning of October 19 .

At around 10.30 am, the campaigners landed at New Delhi Railway Station where Kaushal Kishore and other members of Save Democracy: Repeal AFSPA Group were waiting to receive them.

After the campaigners took rest for a while at Kingsway Gandhi Ashram, preparations were being made for holding a meeting and taking out a rally in front the main gate of Delhi University when slogan shouting activists of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) threw stones, shoes, empty plastic bottles and ink at the campaigners.

One girl from Assam was hit by a shoe flung by ABVP activists on her face.

But the Delhi Police personnel, who were on duty in the area, remained watching the disruptive activities of the ABVP activists.

Instead the Delhi police detained around 30 members of Save Democracy: Repeal AFSPA Group on alleged charge of having no permission to hold meeting and take out rally.

It was only after a large number of Delhi University students gathered and decried the conduct of Delhi police that all the detainees were set free.

At around 5 pm of the same day, a meeting was held in the main hall of IIT, Delhi.

Later on, a similar meeting was also convened at Kaveri hostel, JNU at around 9 pm.

In the morning of October 21, the campaigners set out for Aligarh, where a mass rally attended by students of Aligarh Muslim University was taken out in the afternoon.

After the rally, the campaigners headed for Kanpur at around 3 pm.

In their next leg of the rally, the campaigners would be heading to Lucknow.

They would also visit Varanasi, Ranchi, Patna and Kolkata before arriving at Imphal.

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