Anurag Kashyap, Mani Ratnam, Aparna Sen and other celebs write to PM Modi over rising lynchings

As many as 49 renowned film actors and directors have written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing concern over growing lynching cases. Letter signed by social activists, filmmakers and artists like Adoor Gopalkrishnan, Mani Ratnam, Anurag Kashyap, Binayak Sen, Soumitro Chatterjee, Aparna Sen states: "Ram is sacred for the majority community, stop defiling the name of Ram."

The celebrities have said, "Over 254 religious identity-based hate crimes. 840 incidents of atrocities against the Dalits. Dear Prime Minister, what action has been taken?"

"The lynching of Muslims, Dalits and other minorities must be stopped immediately. We were shocked to learn from the NCRB that there have been no less than 840 instances of atrocities against Dalits in the year 2016, and a definite decline in the percentage of convictions," the letter reads.

Here is the complete text: