Protesting against the Government’s decision to involve a private company for maintaining the historic monument Red Fort, civil society organisations, heritage groups, teachers and students associations and commoners among others on Thursday took out a protest march.
Around 100 protesters raised slogans of “No Company Raj Again” as they held the protest march from the Rajghat to the Red Fort on the occasion of the 161st anniversary of the first War of Independence — the revolt of 1857.
late last month, the Bharat Dalmia Group signed a MoU with the Government under which it was allowed to maintain the monument. Under the agreement, the Dalmia Bharat Group has agreed to make available certain basic amenities at the monument within six months. These include providing drinking water kiosks, street furniture like benches and signages to guide the visitors, according to the Government. The protestors, however, alleged the move was in line with the RSS’ efforts of “rewriting and erasing history according to their whims and fancies”.
They said the MoU allows the Bharat Dalmia Group to place their company’s name on signages on the fort campus and to establish interpretation centres in the name of providing brief history of the monument.
The protest was organised by Anhad in collaboration with left-wing student organisation All India Students’ Association (AISA), the Centre for Dalit literature and Art, Dalit lekhak Sangh, the Democratic Teachers’ Front, the IPTA, the Jan Sanskriti Manch, the Progressive Writers’ Association and other groups.