Several members of the IIM Bangalore community, including faculty, students, staff, and campus residents, came together for ‘mounagraha,’ a silent vigil, from April 20th to 23rd, outside the college campus. “The mounagraha was organized to express outrage over uncurbed gender violence in India, and to demand swift justice for victims starting with the young girls from Kathua and Unnao,” said an organizer of the protest.In addition to the silent vigil, several faculty members of IIMB have also written an open letter to the Prime Minister. The letter says that in order to restore faith in institutions responsible for upholding the rule of law, it is important to deliver “uncompromised justice for the victims by meting out severe punishment to the perpetrators.”
“The open letter and ‘mounagraha’ are our expressions of solidarity with people like us who won’t stand for violence of any kind against anyone,” said a faculty member. “The vigil was a very emotional experience,” said one of the participants.
As children, adults, students, and staff kept the vigil on Bannerghatta Road near IIMB, there were many nods, acknowledgements, thumbs up, and other expressions of solidarity from passers-by. “An elderly gentleman rolled his car window down to say, ‘Beta, hum tumhare saath hain’ and that sums up the feeling of the entire nation for me,” said a mounagrahi.
Photo Credit: Nitesh Batra
