As Bihar elections draw nearer, right-wing Hindutva IT cell has sprung into action digging up old videos propagating communal divide between Hindus and Muslims.
This is one of the oldest tricks of polarisation in the IT cell handbook wherein they revisit past incidents from different parts of the world to disturb India’s social harmony. This week alone, two videos were circulated on social media to rekindle the animosity between the two religions. One video showed actor Ajaz Khan speaking against Brahminic Pandits, while another video showed visuals of sexual assault on a minor girl in a madrasa. Despite the growing understanding about the impact of fake-news, police still do not have the means to curb such divisive content.
Regarding the sexual assault video, the AltNews website discovered on October 23, 2020, after performing reverse-imaging, that the incident had taken place in Pakistan two years ago. Even though the offender was arrested, Indian IT cell circulated the clip and created the false impression that the crime had happened in India. It became viral on social media especially on Facebook where it was shared by thousands of people.
On Twitter, netizen Uma Shankar Rajput shared the clip claiming that madrasas were “dens of obscenity” that should be closed down. His tweet received over 2,400 likes. According to the report, Rajput even talked about the Muslim community in India after his tweet. A summary glance at the pro-Hindutva, Modi-supporter’s feed shows that he holds no kind sentiments to any religion other than Hindutva.
Stop Hindu conversion to Islam & Christianity. मैं भारत बोल रहा हूँ#धर्मपरिवर्तन_विरोधी_कानून
— ???उमा शंकर राजपूत ???6k (@UmaShankar2054) December 9, 2019
Meanwhile, Khan – known for making insensitive content indulging in communal divide – talked about a group of Pandits who attacked a boy named Sahil allegedly on suspicion of being Muslim. He makes many insensitive demands to throw all Indian Pandits in jail. In reality, the attack on the young man had taken place in 2019 wherein police had found no communal motive for the crime.
Regardless, Khan’s words incited the response, the IT cell was hoping for. The hashtag ‘#अरेस्ट_मुल्ला_एजाज’ (Arrest Mullah Ajaz) and ‘#ArrestAjazKhan’ began trending on Twitter.
Hindutva groups raged against Khan for ‘attacking the Brahmin Pandits.’
बाबर वंशज एजाज खान
खुला चेलेंज है तेरे को – दम है तो कर एक्सेप्ट ?️#अरेस्ट_मुल्ला_एजाज pic.twitter.com/g7LhLFsKX9
— Deepak Sharma (@TheDeepak2020In) October 22, 2020
#आंखें खोल के #देखिए,#कान खोल कर #सुनिए और #दिमाग हो तो #समझिए कि
ये दो #कौड़ी का #आदमी कैसे #कथित #गंगा-जमुनी #तहज़ीब दिखा रहा है और कैसा #भाई-चारा #निभा रहा है
ये धर्मांध #अनर्गल बातें #खुद करेंगे और #हिंदुओं से कहेंगे कि #धर्मनिरपेक्ष बनो और #भाईचारा निभाओ#ArrestAjazkhan pic.twitter.com/2K0v7923IU
— Rishiraj Shanker (@rishirajshanker) October 22, 2020
Even BJP leader Kapil Mishra, who is also accused of inciting Delhi riots in February wasted no time, commenting on the video as an attack on Hindus.
जो एजाज खान ने बोला है उसके बाद माफी संभव नहीं
लोगों में भयानक गुस्सा है
तुरन्त उसके खिलाफ गंभीर कानूनी कार्यवाही ही एकमात्र विकल्प
आशा करता हूँ राज्य सरकार और कानून व्यवस्था सम्हालने वाले इसकी गंभीरता को जल्दी समझ लेंगे#अरेस्ट_मुल्ला_एजाज
— Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishra_IND) October 22, 2020
Such hate-content is circulated periodically, especially during elections, to divert the public from the real issues in the area. The resurfacing of these issues is a clever strategy on the part of the right-wing elements to distract people from the Adivasi agitation, the rising unemployment and the after-effects of floods in Bihar.
Related:
No ‘Muslim regiment’ in the first place: Former civil servants seek investigation into fake news
Can’t restrict circulation of fake news on social media: MP High Court
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Republic TV, two others accused of TRP fraud