HYDERABAD: Cutting across political and religious lines, hundreds of Hyderabadis joined a 'Peace March' from Babu Jagjivan Ram statue near LB Stadium in Basheerbagh to Babasaheb Ambedkar statue near Tank Bund on Sunday.
The march was organised by the 'Telangana for Peace and Unity' (TPU), an umbrella group of NGOs and civil society organisations that have come together for the common goal of promoting peace and harmony in the country.
The Telangana for Peace and Unity expressed concern at the increasing communal divide in the country and organised the march. The participants said that they would continue campaigning and working for communal harmony in the State.
The marchers carried posters with messages like 'We stand United for Peace', 'Say No to Communal Hatred', 'Mazhab nahi sikhata aapas mein bair rakhna', ‘Humanity is our common religion' and others. Many eminent citizens and social activists, including Prof Rama Melkote, Prof Padmaja Shaw, V Sandhya, Khalida Parveen, K Sajaya, Mazhar Hussain and others took part.
"No nation can progress under these conditions of deprivation and discrimination of large sections of the people. It's time for the civil society to join hands, raise our voice against authoritarianism and religious bigotry to restore democracy and preserve the spirit and Constitutional morality," said Rama Melkote.
The march began with collectively reciting the Preamble of the Indian Constitution, and ended at the Ambedkar statue with the reading of a common resolution and singing of the National Anthem. Kiran Vissa, one of the founders of TPU, said that this 'Peace March' was the first public event of the forum.