Members of Indian community in the US joined the thousands who swarmed down New York’s streets on Saturday denouncing US President George W. Bush and looming war on Iraq. Despite a court order prohibiting marching, the crowds rallied within sight of the UN amid heavy security. They raised banners of patriotism and dissent, and heard speakers censure ‘‘President Bush’s rush to war’’.
‘‘I’m here because I think it will be worth it if I can save even one life,” said 44-year-old Aloke Agarwala, a member of the United Auto Workers Union. He was accompanied by Vasant Baliga of the SBI branch in Wall Street. Sudhir Mahadevan, a Ph.D student at New York University, said: ‘‘The US is on a warmongering course and it’s only succeeding in generating more hatred. The UN inspectors need to go on with their work, and even if they do find a ‘‘smoking gun’’, we still need a diplomatic solution.’’