A 91-year-old man voiced his anguish, while a schoolgirl held up a placard. "Not in my name," they said, as people gathered to protest against hate crimes in the country.
Urdu poet Gulzar Dehlvi spoke about "Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb", the syncretic culture that embraces Hinduism and Islam at the "Not In My Name" meeting, described by its organisers as a citizens' protest against the killing of Afrazul Khan in Rajasthan, and other victims of violence.
The world, the poet said, was proud of the tradition that embraced multiple languages and religions.
"And today it is being attacked. Hindu religion doesn't teach this hate. It talks of humanity, mankind, human race," he said, ruing that people were trying to divide the people in the name of Hinduism and Islam.
Under the "Not In My Name" banner, protests had earlier been organised against the killing of teenager Junaid and of journalist Gauri Lankesh.
Afrazul Khan was hacked and burnt to death in Rajasthan's Rajsamand district last week. The violence was recorded and clips were circulated on social media sites.
Mihika Sinha, a Class 5 student, was present at the protest march, carrying a placard with the question, "Why was Afrazul Killed?".
"You can't kill people," she said, when asked why she was there.
Her mother, Delhi academic Monami Basu, said it was difficult to answer the question because her daughter did not understand the concept of bigotry.
"She does not completely grasp what is going on. And when I explain about bigotry, go back into history to explain what hate is, she finds it strange," Basu said.
Also present at the meeting was the author of "Framed As A Terrorist", Mohammad Aamir Khan, who was acquitted after 14 years in jail.
Khan believed there was a growing climate of fear.
Students, academics, human right activists and others took part in the event held in the heart of the capital. Similar protests were organised in Bengaluru and Bhopal.
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