One complaint against Gautam Khattar was sent on July 12 to Commissioner, Bidhannagar City Police, Shri Mukesh, and Collector and District Magistrate, North 24 Parganas, Sharad Kumar Dwivedi, for the hate speech delivered by Khattar at the National Yuva Conclave-2024 event organised by Friends of Tribals Society at Acharya Mahapragya Mahashraman Education & Research Foundation (AMMERF), Newtown, Kolkata. The second complaint was sent on July 16 against Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader against the hate speech delivered in Vapi, Valsad, Gujarat. The said complaint was addressed to Superintendent of Police, Valsad, Dr. Karanraj Vaghela, and Collector and District Magistrate, Valsad, Aayush Sanjeev Oak. The third complaint was sent on July 16 against Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad-Bajrang Dal speaker for promoting enmity between religious communities through incendiary speech delivered during an event organised in Purnia, Bihar. The complaint was delivered to Superintendent of Police, Purnia, Upendra Nath Verma, and Collector and District Magistrate, Purnia, Kundan Kumar.

All our complaints include attached link to the video of the concerned hate speech and English transcription of the same with proper timestamp to assist the police officials. In addition, we have included relevant applicable criminal laws related to hate speech (both Indian Penal Code and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provisions) and judicial precedents, particularly Shaheen Abdullah vs Union of Indian and Tehseen S. Poonawalla vs Union of India. Wherever applicable, we have also cited state-level police directive(s) issued by senior police official(s) concerning hate speech. Finally, we explain the police authorities that it is not only their moral duty but also legal obligation to act against any incident of hate speech, requiring even suo-moto registration of FIR in cases of hate speech. Importantly, we make officials understand the direct and in-direct implications of hate speeches, not on the lives of minorities, but on the society as a whole. Finally, we ask the authorities to provide us the details of the action taken against the complained speaker(s) and organisation(s), if any, and urge them to act on the same if no action has been already initiated.

Details of the incidents

Kolkata, West Bengal

An Uttarakhand resident, Gautam Khattar, delivered a communal speech between April 5-7 at the National Yuva Conclave-2024 event organised by Friends of Tribals Society at Acharya Mahapragya Mahashraman Education & Research Foundation (AMMERF), Newtown, Kolkata. Through his speech, he propagated fake conspiracy theories about religious conversion, promoted enmity between Muslims, Christians and Hindus, accused Muslim and Christian citizens of proselytisation, and also advocated Hindus to take up arms. He further engaged in fearmongering by saying that Muslims of the country are on a mission to make India into Islamic State and termed them terrorists.

In this case, we sent our complaint to Shri Mukesh (Commissioner, Bidhannagar City Police) and Sharad Kumar Dwivedi (Collector and DM, North 24 Parganas) on July 12.

Excerpt from the speech can be found below:

“Lord Ram holds bow and arrow, Lord Krishna has Sudarshan Chakra (discus), Veer Hanuman wields Gadda (mace), Shiva has Trishul (trident) in his hands, Jagadamba and Maharana Pratap holds Bhalla (spear), your ancestors are trying to convey a message but you are not understanding it, their Madrasas hoard weapons and you have iPhone worth 1 lakh in your hands but you do not possess a weapon – this is why our daughters’ respect and dignity is time and again snatched away by Jihadis but we still do not open our eyes.”

“…if only 100 out of 7 lakhs Kashmiri Pandits had picked up weapons, we would not have had a flag of Pakistan on our soil. But none of us took up arms that is why I am telling study the sacred texts but also keep weapons alongside. Islam says that sword should be placed on a person’s neck if they do not believe in the Prophet – you force them through fear and might of sword to wear Salwar…Their Quran instructs to cut off the head of idol-worshippers and whose who do not believe in Allah and the Prophet.”

“…we talk about Ram Rajya and Hindu Rashtra, but mind you, they will make Islamic State, because they don’t just limit themselves to slogans and speeches, every son of a Muslim go to Madrasa, and therefore it is easier for them to make Islamic State.”

“Isa Messiah (Jesus) says in the Bible that do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the Earth, I did not come to bring peace but sword, I have come to turn man against his father, a daughter against his mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, man’s enemy will be the member of his own household– who is telling this? I am not telling this; it is Isha Messiah who is telling this…These are not Isais but butchers of your neck…and there is no need to bow down your heads on the tombs of terrorists (Aatankvaadi)…Stop going to the cemeteries of Pirs.”

Copy of the complaint can be found here:

Vapi, Valsad, Gujarat

The hate speech targeting Muslims had been delivered by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader on May 26 at the event organised by Vishwa Hindu Parishad in Vapi, Valsad. Through his speech, he propagated disinformation and spread fake conspiracy theories about Love Jihad and religious conversion, promoted enmity between Muslims and Hindus, repeatedly eulogised extreme violence, and incited the audience by communalising the events of 1992 Babri Masjid Demolition and 2002 Gujarat violence. He also advocated boycott of Muslim shops and owners. Furthermore, his speech infantilises women, promotes misogyny, moral policing, vigilantism, and incites hatred between different religious groups.

In this case, we sent our complaint to Dr. Karanraj Vaghela (Superintendent of Police, Valsad) and Aayush Sanjeev Oak (Collector and DM, Valsad) on July 16.

Excerpt from the speech can be found below:

“…If one Hindu is beaten up, many Muslims will be beaten up in ten villages, when this sentiment is ignited then no Hindu community will be ever attacked…We must also raise awareness about love jihad in the society; in colleges, schools, other places, organising seminars, teaching people; we must create such an environment that she never actually leaves…Not even one girl should become a victim of love jihad, none of our sisters, irrespective of their caste or class status, whether rich or poor, every Hindu sister is my sister, and I have a duty to protect her – this sentiment must always prevail in our minds.”

“There will be tit for tat…in riots Hindus were killed but we slowly started responding back, I will give two examples – In 1992, the whole country went to Ayodhya, at that time nobody was allowed to do Kar Seva (devotional service), angry people in turn moved atop the dome and that mosque which was a symbol of disrespect was brought down manually by the people within 6 hours. The mosque was completely dismantled and a small temple was created there in its place. Thereafter, the country witnessed riots, for the first two days Hindus were slaughtered, but later, Hindus showed their might. As a result, those riots killed some 2000 people across the country, 600 of them were Hindus – who were the rest you can imagine – for the first time Hindus counterattacked, they sent a message that we won’t attack anyone, but if anybody attacks, we will teach them a lesson.”

“The second example is our Godhra…I still remember, in February 2002, Indian Express had put out one photo on the front page – seeing that photo I feel elated time and again – in that photo one Muslim youth was crying. For many years, Hindu was crying, for the first time seeing a picture of a Muslim youth crying made me happy because entire Gujarat responded back, and not only Gujarat but the whole country witnessed a sentiment of bravery.”

“I went to Jodhpur, I had to cut my hair but none of the three shops I went to were run by a Hindu…I was surprised but finally with the Karyakartas’ help I found the sixth shop which was (run by) Hindu. These things are happening across the country, wherever Hindus are not there, we should develop a feeling to gradually dominate such businesses.”

Copy of the complaint can be found here:

Purnia, Bihar

A hate spewing speech had been delivered by the Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad speaker on June 4 at the event organised by Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad-National Bajrang Dal in Purnia, Bihar. Through the speech, the speaker advocated violence, derogatorily referred to Muslims as circumcised, and further threatened to cut them to pieces.

In this case, we sent our complaint to Upendra Nath Verma (Superintendent of Police, Purnia) and Kundan Kumar (Collector and DM, Purnia) on July 16.

Excerpt from the speech can be found below:

“Would any Muslim dare to run away with our daughters? They are already circumcised, but we will cut them from top to bottom.”

Copy of the complaint can be found here:

Related:

CJP continues to fight against hate, submits police complaints in 7 instances of hate speech delivered by leaders in Maharashtra since January 2024 | CJP

CJP lodges additional police complaints against Nitesh Rane and Ashwini Upadhyay for hate speeches | CJP

Several instances of hate speech in March and April mar the election cycle, demonise religious minorities before the polls | CJP

The post Multiple hate speeches emerge from Gujarat, Bihar, and West Bengal, sparking concerns, CJP files complaints appeared first on SabrangIndia.

On June 25, 2024, Bhabesh Kalita, the BJP Assam State President, commented on the winning MP from the Congress Party, “Some voted as a communal group in Dhubri so Rakibul Hussain won by more than one million votes.” This statement has come in the wake of the general elections results. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said similarly and suggested that the ‘Muslim vote’ is a concerning development for state politics.

The state BJP president said that one thing is clear from the way Dhubri and Nagaon Muslims voted for Congress in unison, they do not want a friendship with the government and BJP. Muslims still vote communally, from a communal perspective.

Bhabesh Kalita also said that the government’s development work in minority areas will continue.

As per Bhabesh, the state BJP has formed a 28-member committee tasked with analysing the voting behaviours in various assembly constituencies and preparing a roadmap for future strategies.

Sabrang India has earlier pointed out how people voted against BJP’s hate and communalism and in favour of democracy in Assam and the entire North East.

The chief minister had delivered a similar speech with communal charges on June 22, 2024. Sarma claimed that the minority community in Assam has not acknowledged the developmental efforts made by the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in the state, “We analysed 39 per cent votes of the Congress. It is not spread across the state. Fifty per cent of it is concentrated in 21 assembly segments which are minority dominated. In these minority-dominated segments, BJP got 3 per cent votes.”

Meanwhile, the state has witnessed two Muslim brothers being shot dead by a forest guard on June 22. They were allegedly trespassing into the Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam’s Nagaon district. The deceased, identified as Samaruddin and Abdul Jalil were from Dhingbari Chapari village. The authorities have stated that the forest guard fired at them in ‘self-defence.’ The chief minister has ordered a probe in the incident.

Last night, individuals from Sutirpar village trespassed into Lawkhua-Burachapari Reserve Forest. During an encounter with patrolling forest guards, a guard opened fire in self-defense, resulting in the deaths of Samaruddin (35) and Abdul Jalil (40).
I have directed the Chief…

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 22, 2024

Meanwhile, according to Siasat News, the Community Network Against Protected Areas (CNAPA), a civil society group, has issued a statement condemning the incident, and have described the shooting a as a “fake encounter.”

Related:

Once again, Assam CM tries to shake communal sentiment, claims minority community only know how to engage in communal activities

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma reportedly spent 58 crores of public funds on travel

Assam: Post by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma casteist, promotes oppression?

EC issues show-cause notice to Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma for “communal” speech

FIR against Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma for hate speech

The post Assam CM and BJP state president blame Muslims for defeat, call them ‘communal group’ appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The police have reportedly denied that the man was a part of the BJP. As per Hindustan Times, a BJP spokesperson has also denied any association with the man. “According to our information, he is from Faridabad and came to Sangam Vihar seeking notoriety. The police should act according to the law. We do not support such actions.”

The police have meanwhile stated that they are investigating the alleged case of cow slaughter and trying to find who it was  that caused the ‘mischief.’

Karnail Singh had also reportedly given inflammatory statements in the year 2022.

Recorded this just now.

BJP Mandir Prakshot Head Karnail Singh giving slogans of “Jisko Is Desh Mein Rehna Hoga Jai Sri Ram Kehna Hoga” right IN FRONT of the mosque that became the heart of the conflict last evening during Shobha Yatra. pic.twitter.com/nt24Xx1Bgm

— Fatima Khan (@khanthefatima) April 17, 2022

Local resident Mohammed Musarrat, who runs a YouTube channel, told Clarion India that the statement was made on June 22, after a cow carcass was found in J 2B Colony. Following the incident, local Muslim leaders have now filed a complaint at the local police station. The complaint, signed by about a dozen people, demands the arrest of Singh and the invocation of the National Security Act (NSA) against him. “The statement has created panic among the people,” the complaint reads, warning of potential unrest.

Musarrat has also stated to the Clarion India that Hindutva leaders have been repeatedly coming the locality. While the situation is currently peaceful, there was significant tension on Sunday as Hindutva leaders called for a protest at Peepal Chowk against the alleged cow slaughter. They had also reportedly planned to march while reciting the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’, but police intervened and prevented the march.

Authorities are investigating whether the carcass was brought by a stray dog or if an animal was actually slaughtered.

The discovery of the carcass near the temple had led to heightened tensions and had reportedly even caused about a dozen Muslim families to leave the area. Some have vacated their rented homes, while others have locked their houses and moved elsewhere. Musarrat noted that Hindutva supporters continue to visit the area, shouting slogans and slurs such as “Send them to Pakistan”, “Katwe”, and “terrorists”. Local Muslims have also stated that they have also joined hands to complaint against the alleged cow slaughter and stand with their ‘Hindu brothers.’

Related:

Strongly condemn vicious communal assault on Muslims: CPI-M

After politicians, hate speech catches on among citizens in Assam

Communal violence in Jodhpur, local Muslim women allege police brutality

Celebrating Yoga Day After Spewing Venom Against Muslims is Travesty of Yoga

The post Man in Delhi calls for slaughter of 2 lakh Muslims, locals demand National Security Act against him appeared first on SabrangIndia.

This is from #Mudkhed, #Nanded, #Maharashtra.

On May 4, Social media influencer #KajalHindustani delivers #HateSpeech against #Muslims. She peddled anti-Muslim conspiracy theories and called for only doing trade with #Hindu businesses. pic.twitter.com/vlAiInx0U2

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 7, 2024

Solapur, Maharashtra

Another serial offender has raked Maharashtra with his hate speech once again on May 4.

BJP MLA from Telangana’s Ghoshamahal constituency in his speech asked the state’s chief minister Eknath Shinde to not campaign or ask Muslims for votes, and instead to ask from those who ‘save Gaumata.’ He also further called for not buying halal certified goods and demanded bulldozers to start demolitions in Maharashtra as well.

“We had heard of land jihad, and love jihad. Now we hear of vote jihad.’ Referring to Salman Khurshid’s comment for voters to commit vote jihad, he goes further, “There was a time, when ‘you’ did a lot of jihad, now is not that time anymore because if you do jihad now, Modiji will hammer you (thok denge).”

This is from #Solapur, #Maharashtra.#BJP legislator #TRajaSingh delivers dangerous speech condoning violence against #Muslims at an event seeking support for BJP Lok Sabha candidate #RamVithalSatpute.

He used anti-Muslim slurs, targeted Rohingya refugees and promoted various… pic.twitter.com/mhOBqkgHiq

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 6, 2024

Consequently, according to Siasat News, Singh along with Nitesh Rane were booked by the police for their speech on May 7th.

Ayanagar, Delhi

New Delhi’s Ayanagar reportedly saw a communally charged speech by BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Rakesh Sinha who spoke of ‘chopping off fingers’ of those who ‘point fingers’ at Ram.

“I promise you that after 2024, the mosque from Kashi Vishwanath will be done for. The mosque in Mathura will also get done with. We are well aware of how to chop off the fingers of those pointing fingers at Bhagwan Ram, Bhagwan Krishna and Bhagwan Shiva’s temples. The incoming Narendra Modi government will remove the shadow that Mughals have cast over our Bhagwan Krishna’s Mandir after returning in 2024.”

This is from #Ayanagar, South Delhi.

On May 12, #BJP Rajya Sabha MP #RakeshSinha delivers inflammatory campaign speech: “I promise you that after 2024, the mosque from #KashiVishwanath will go, the mosque from #Mathura will go… We know how to chop off the fingers of those… pic.twitter.com/kK27rYBLSc

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 13, 2024

Nanded, Maharashtra

On May 4, Kajal Hindustani, a social media influencer, gave an incendiary speech, urging the Hindu community to do ‘love and land jihad.’

In the name of secularism, you are being played. Your brother is sitting like a butcher and is chopping you. In nine states and in many districts, Hindus have become a minority. After railway and the defence, Muslims own the most land. Our women, temples, land and gau mata are not safe. Nor is the Hindu safe in this country. You have only one nation. Other Hindus are running to India from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. Indian government has promised them citizenship. But where will you go? The Hindu is running from here, from Assam, Bengal etc. Till when and where will you run? How much will you run? Our jihadi brother, he is dreaming of Ghazwa e Hind. What is Ghazwa e Hind? Making India an Islamic nation. They are working according to a terrorist, Talibani ideology. What are we doing? We are only raising slogans. Till when will you stay like this, watching your sister get targeted by ‘love-jihad?’ You get prepared, you too do ‘love-land jihad’, do religious conversions.”

This is from #Mudkhed, #Nanded, #Maharashtra.

On May 4, Social media influencer #KajalHindustani delivers #HateSpeech against #Muslims. She peddled anti-Muslim conspiracy theories and called for only doing trade with #Hindu businesses. pic.twitter.com/vlAiInx0U2

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 7, 2024

Navneet Rana gave a hate-filled speech on May 9 while campaigning for the BJP’s Madhavi Latha who is contesting from Hyderabad.

She was speaking to Asaduddin Owaisi and his brother Akbaruddin Owaisi, “The younger brother says ‘remove the police for 15 minutes so that we can show them what we can do’. I want to tell the younger brother that it might take you 15 minutes, but for us it will only take 15 seconds. it will take us all of 15 seconds if we come to it.”

#WATCH | Hyderabad, Telangana: Amravati MP and BJP candidate from the constituency, Navnit Ravi Rana says, “…The younger brother (Akbaruddin Owaisi) says “Police ko 15 minute hata do toh hum dikhayenge ki hum kya kar sakte hain.” I would like to tell him, it took you 15… pic.twitter.com/YYutjVI73h

— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2024

Similarly, on May 11 in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad she made the following speech.

“We don’t need 15 minutes to finish you up. We can do it in 15 seconds. I am not scared of any ‘Pakistan ki aulad’.” Pakistan ki aulaad is a slur used to refer to Muslims in India. He continues saying, “Ayodhya was just a glimpse, Kashi and Mathura are left.”

This is from #Aurangabad, #Maharashtra.

On May 11, “We don’t need 15 minutes to finish you, we can do it in 15 seconds. I am not scared of any “#Pakistan ki aulaad”. #Ayodhya was just a glimpse, #Kashi and #Mathura are left,” said #BJP Lok Sabha candidate #NavneetRana.… pic.twitter.com/fQ1npBhCAk

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 14, 2024

Kalkaji, Delhi

Notorious offender and BJP Leader Kapil Mishra, who shot to fame for his hate speech after the northeast Delhi riots for saying “Desh ke Gaddaron ko, Goli maaro saalon ko.”, is once again in the news for giving highly charged hate speech.

If one lane has two houses, one man has two kids one has 12. Allah ki dene” The crowd laughs, “Now the government says to combine property of both, and give equally to both. Now who will get the most money?’ The crowd jeers. “Are they not giving 10,000 rupees to laundya (slur), to Rohingyas. Now, you have a look at any photo of any Rohingya woman, have you seen? Four kids in the side, fifth in her hand, and the sixth – ?” The crowd jeers that the sixth is in her ‘stomach. Is it not the case? These Rohingya and Bangladeshi are taking money for going to school and giving to those who go to madrasa. Will we let that happen? Also, secondly, they will take the reservation given to Dalits, OBCs, and Adivasi and give it to Muslims. Will we let that happen?”

This is from #Kalkaji, #NewDelhi.

On May 11, #BJP leader #KapilSharma delivers extremely inflammatory speech against #Muslims and Rohingya refugees.#LokSabhaElections2024 pic.twitter.com/3y8NKmAroJ

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 13, 2024

Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh

On May 23, Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh witnessed a speech charged with communal tones by BJP MP and Minister of Information and Broadcasting of India, Anurag Singh Thakur. He was speaking about alleged “Muslim appeasement” by Congress. The phrase is often used as a bogey by right-wing supporters as a dog whistle.

“Congress will give reservations to Muslims and they will distribute property amongst people having more wives and children.”

This is from #Hamirpur, #HimachalPradesh.

On May 23, “#Congress will give reservations to #Muslims and they will distribute property amongst people having more wives and children,” said #BJP leader #AnuragSinghThakur.#LokSabhaElections2024 pic.twitter.com/FeuJ4MKg7L

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 24, 2024

Kolhapur, Maharashtra.

On May 20, Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s General Secretary Surendra Jain’s speech similarly made a charged speech filled with conspiracy theories directed against Muslims. He made the speech in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur, saying “Wherever Hindus are a minority, they are in danger. Fear mongers about Muslims and Christians sending money from abroad to convert Hindus in India. Hindus are being tricked into Christianity. We are under attack from Muslims and Christians.”

He further spoke of a united ‘Akhand Bharat,’ invoking countries such as Germany, Israel and Vietnam, and demanding that Hindu land in Pakistan and Bangladesh be “brought back.”

This is from #KaneriMath, #Kolhapur, #Maharashtra.

On May 20, Top themes of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (#VHP) General Secretary Surendra Jain’s speech: “Wherever #Hindus are a minority they are in danger. Fear mongers about #Muslims and #Christians sending money from abroad to… pic.twitter.com/ySJGYZLSI5

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 24, 2024

Deoghar, Jharkhand

On May 22, repeated hate speech giver, Himanta Biswa Sarma reportedly spoke in Jharkhand and gave a communally charged speech. He said, “Assam has suffered due to infiltrators and Rohingya. The Infiltrators consist of about 36% of the population, they have come from Bangladesh and settled in Assam. In 10 years, Jharkhand will be like Assam as well (with regards to the migrant population), the demography will change. It’s under the rule of the opposition that most infiltration happens.”

He further spoke about Kashi and Mathura as well, “We need 400 seats to build these temples; Madrasa & Mulla. It’s not our job to make Mullas. I shut down about 700 Madrasas in one day. Hemant Soren allows namaz in the state assembly, so if that happened then we should also be able to recite the Hanuman Chalisa. They are giving Fridays off, we have to stop it like I did in 12 districts of Assam. Vote for us to stop infiltration, build the Krishna Janmabhoomi Temple and the Gyanvapi Mandir. Vote for a united Kashmir and vote to shut down all these Madrasas.”

This is from #Deoghar, #Jharkhand.

On May 22, Top themes of #HimantaBiswaSarma’s campaign speech: “#Assam has suffered due to infiltrators and #Rohingya. The Infiltrators are 36% of the Population, they have come from #Bangladesh and settled in Assam. In 10 years, Jharkhand will… pic.twitter.com/h07T9AoHMG

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 25, 2024

Palghar, Maharashtra

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath further sparked controversy as he claimed that the Azaan (call to prayer) will disappear from mosques in the next five years. He made the speech in Palghar, Maharashtra.

According to The Observer Post, he said, “Today you must be seeing that all the encroachments in Uttar Pradesh have been removed. Now, no one even thinks about riots there. Now no one offers prayers on the streets in Uttar Pradesh. Even the loudspeakers from the mosques have been taken down. In the next five years, you will see that people will forget that these things even existed.” The report states that a complaint against this statement has been filed at the ECI.

On May 29, the chief minister of UP again made a speech laced with communal sentiments, talking about how ‘Muslims will implement personal law,’ “They will implement Muslim personal law. They will become a Taliban regime. Women will have to wear Burqa and they won’t be able to go to school or markets. They want to bring back triple talaq and they want to implement the sharia law. This won’t happen under the BJP. ‘They’ will implement an inheritance tax and through it will X-ray your assets and distribute them among Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Afghan, and Rohingya infiltrators. Aurangzeb’s soul has entered Congress, and now the Inheritance tax is the new jizya. Let’s keep Aurangzeb buried.”

Sangli, Maharashtra

T Raja Singh once again made an inflammatory speech. Singh said, “Shoot in the chest of people who do ‘love-jihad’.” He also encouraged young Hindus to learn how to use weapons and to not hold fear for killing a “love jihadi.”

The event was reportedly organised by Sakal Hindu Samaj.

In #Maharashtra‘s #Sangli, #BJP MLA #TRajaSingh incited violence against #Muslims. He asked #Hindus to shoot down in the chest of those who convert people and are involved in ‘#LoveJihad‘. He also said ‘shoot the landya (Muslims)’ by referring the statement to #BalThackeray. pic.twitter.com/BcGoAOE2jy

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 28, 2024

Mustafabad, Delhi

In Northeast Delhi which is seeing a contest between incumbent BJP leader and singer Manoj Tiwari and Congress’ Kanhaiya Kumar, Kapil Mishra once again gave a speech on May 21, alluding to finding an “Afzal” in “every home”, and how PM Modi will “treat these diseases.”

“They used to ask “how many Afzals will you kill”, and that “you will find Afzal in each household.” Well, from wherever Afzal comes out, we will enter the house and kill him. Till when will they come out? They have stopped now.”

This is from #Mustafabad, North East Delhi.

On May 21, #BJP leader #KapilMishra in an election meeting says “They asked how many Afzals you will kill? You will find Afzal in each household. Wherever Afzal comes out, we will enter that house and kill him. For how long will they… pic.twitter.com/vgAFattdca

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 24, 2024

He further adds that the people have only seen a “trailer” and a “calm” Narendra Modi, who was laying the “foundation” for removing “termites.” In the coming third term, he argues, all these “diseases will be treated.”

Kendrapara, Odisha

On May 26, Himanta Biswa Sarma once again gave a communally charged speech in Odisha, saying, “Sri Ram Janambhumi has happened, but in Mathura, our Krishna Janambhumi, the Shahi Eidgah stands at that place. In Kashi, our Vishvanath Baba’s temple had Gyanvapi Temple, now it continues to remain Gyanvapi Mosque. Give Modji 400 seats and across, we have to build Krishna Janamibhumi and Gyanvapi Temple.”

This is from #Kendrapara, #Odisha.

On May 26, “#Kashi & #Mathura; Give 400 seats we will make the temples,” said #HimantaBiswaSarma.#LokSabhaElections2024 pic.twitter.com/nAanQLSvc7

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 30, 2024

On May 28, Sarma made similar such speeches at Bhadrak and Kakatpur in Odisha, arguing for the need to stop Muslim men from marrying four wives and implementing the Uniform Civil Code.

Ballia, Uttar Pradesh

On May 29 in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, Home Minister Amit Shah similarly made a speech charging Congress of ‘Muslim appeasement’, “Electricity was only available during Ramzan, but now it is available for 18 hours a day. The Congress party wants to give reservations meant for Dalits, Adivasis, and Scheduled Castes to Muslims, as they have already done in Karnataka and Hyderabad. We will never allow this to happen.”

This is from #Ballia, #UttarPradesh.

On May 29, “Electricity only used to come in #Ramzan now its available 18 hours a day. #Congress wants to give #Muslims reservations which are meant for #Dalits, #Adivasi and SCs. They have already done so in #Karnataka and #Hyderabad. We… pic.twitter.com/VBnDPgBTCp

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 31, 2024

Related:

Spewing hate, slurring Muslims: an unchecked decade-long diatribe by Bharatiya Janata Party?

Hindutva groups seen holding weapons training camps and rallies in the past month in 4 BJP-ruled states

Repeat offender among suspects in lynching of Muslim man in Gujarat

Series of poll violations by ruling BJP. Inaction by ECI says Independent Panel

‘Inflammatory, communal’: Modi inciting hate in Jharkhand, poll official told

Bombay HC orders removal of derogatory posts “baselessly” attacking Malabar Gold, calls Kajal Shingala’s call to boycott the brand “prima facie defamatory”

The post Rising tide of hate speech marks India’s general assembly election campaigns appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The report stated that 498 out of 668 instances of hate speech took place in areas which had a BJP-led government. About 255 of the total number of incidents took place in the 1st half, while 413 took place in the second 2nd half when elections for several states were going to happen. What is further astonishing is that 20% of the instances recorded of hate mentioned the ongoing Gaza siege.

About 6 out of the top 8 states with the highest number of hate speech events were under BJP rule throughout the year. The remaining 2 states, which underwent legislative elections in 2023, were also governed by the BJP for a substantial part of the year prior to elections.

Interestingly, in October 2023, the report notes, there was a peak in hate speech events across 18 states and 3 union territories with 91 incidents. This peak had happened during ‘election season’ with state assembly elections taking place in states like Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, and Mizoram, which reveals that hate speech events are being used to mobilise crowds for electoral gains.

Maharashtra topped the pan-India list with 118 reported anti-Muslim hate speech event taking place in 2023. After Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh comes as a close second with 104 incidents, and Madhya Pradesh in central India with 65 instances.

These states together contributed to 43% of the total hate speech events documented in 2023. The report further details that Haryana and Uttarakhand, both of which have seen multiple kinds of communal unrest this year in 2023, have also experienced consistent hate speech events, with Haryana contributing to 7.2 % of the total number of incidents, and Uttarakhand coming close at 6 %. The report also notes that instances of hate speech also coincide with communal unrest or violence in the place it occurred. An example of this could be Uttarakhand which has witnessed multiple instances of unrest against Muslims, from unsubstantiated accusations of ‘love-jihad’ against Muslims, to the cases of demolition of Muslims properties and religious places.

The report further details that of the hate speech incidents documented, approximately 32%, which comes down to 216 events, were organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal. As a whole, 46 % of the hate speech events, it details, were organised by groups that are ‘directly associated’ with the RSS and its affiliates, such as the VHP, BJP, the Sakal Hindu Samaj, and the Hindu Jagran Vedike which were behind 307 such events, coming down to about 46% all hate speech incidents in the year. The report furthermore details that there is a concerning rise in newer groups that chime in to these hate speech such as groups that are dedicated to cow vigilantism, such as the Gau Raksha Dal which reportedly held around 13 of such events, mostly concentrated in Haryana. Some of the slogans they used include this, “Jab Mulle kate jayenge, Ram Ram Chilayenge,” with the word ‘Mulle’ being used as a slur.

The research group has stated that the standards used by it are those deployed by the United Nations in defining hate speech which includes discriminatory speech, or language that is against a group or individual that is based on religion, ethnicity, nationality, race or gender.

The IHL’s website was reportedly rendered inaccessible by viewers in India in January 2024.

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Muslims continue to feature as main characters in hate speech

The post Report: 668 incidents of hate speech in 2023; BJP major player appeared first on SabrangIndia.

For the student who is slighted even brazenly discriminated (or even humiliated through a public beating, remember Sahranpur?), or a lawyer who is picked upon and isolated, we have no real measure of how deep and far the poisonous rot has seeped.

For Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) in our Hate Hatao campaign, there is no sweeping this hate under the carpet. To confront, even overcome this toxicity and build allyships with the targets we must begin with giving Voice.

Record and listen to the Voices of India’s discriminated citizen. The Muslim.

Land of the blue hills and red river, Assam, one of India’s seven north-eastern states that is considered a ‘gateway’ to the region, has witnessed its share of consistent hate-letting especially post 2014. This is when a far right government rode to power in the state assembly elections, riding high on the disillusionment and fracturing caused by previous political parties; the same was repeated in 2021. In its second term, the party placed a man known for his sharp vitriol, Himanto Biswas Sarma as chief minister, who missed no opportunity to slur and stigmatise. In fact after the top central leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he is after Ajay Bisht aka Adityanath, the poster boy of Hindutva and a hard-line election campaigner, seeking votes after ensuring a cleavage in public sentiments.

Much like the propaganda line in any majoritarian, even fascist state, Sarma in his public speeches attributed many of his state’s “ills” to the Muslim. On May 19, 2023, Sarma, he, quite provocatively, went on to dub the “rise in heart, kidney disease in the state due to excessive use of fertilisers in various food items,” not as caused by fertiliser-driven chemical pollution in general but due to –believe it or not — “fertiliser jihad!” This was an attempt to link the primarily Bengali-Muslim vegetable growers who are known to be active tillers of the Brahmaputra soil as responsible for some sinister design. Sarma, has since made several such inflammatory declarations and he has been unchecked by Indian law enforcement.

For young Nabeel (name changed to protect anonymity), such repeated and brazen hate stigmatising from the powerful, if unchecked will result in an utter alienation of India’s minorities, who already feel isolated and abandoned. Narrating a personal incident of discrimination, he recalls the constant fear of facing violence for observing food and cultural practice.

Mohammed Akhlaq. Lynched to death on September 28, 2015

“My mother and relatives are extremely cautious in public spaces. They look over their shoulder and don’t even pack mutton or chicken in tiffin’s when we leave our homes. Why? Because we have heard of so many instances of public lynching’s over meat, Mohammed Akhlaq and others. This is a fear that we carry with us every day, “ explains Nabeel adding, “instances of regular discrimination in finding housing are now every day, very ordinary. A friend has faced this in Assam. Even I faced such discrimination it in Pune (Maharashtra) when I was there a while ago. All formalities had been completed at the place I was to rent. However, when I met the society manager he told me that I do not fulfil the ‘criteria’ for staying at the place. I pressed on and asked him why, he said finally it is because I am a Muslim! I went on and asked him whether this is a written rule to the effect that a Muslim can’t stay in this residential society, but he gave a vague answer and new to the city, I did not wish to argue with him. This is very common, it happens to almost everyone. Some people face even worse marginalisation and discrimination and violence. This is now an ordinary aspect of life.”

Indian social and political space is today dominated by the far right. This, the Hindutva brigade executes both a social and political project of ensuring the permanent construct of an antagonist picture of Muslims. Be it as a violent race, intolerant, aggressive, traitorous or unclean, the doppelganger to these prototypes is the meat consuming, lascivious, male Muslim who is responsible for the insidious rise in Muslim population. Using repetitive propagandist methods of stigma, these forces have fine-tuned this hate-letting to minute detail, harnessing technology and even music for far reach.

Speaking to CJP, a young Muslim professional narrates, “I think inter-religious discrimination plays out in insidious ways. I remember during my years as a student, my roommate would specify if ever I borrowed her spoon at a meal, to not use it to eat meat or eggs. She was also someone who jokingly stated that I would burn her in a bed if a ‘riot’ were to take place. In another instance, friends would also “joke in passing” about how one should dress “like a criminal” when the reference was to a kurta pyjama. These sort of micro-aggressions remain salient, often not registered, passing off as anything but humour. It not only makes one fearful, but also resentful. I am always afraid for my family members who wear ‘visible symbols of Islam’ when they go out to the market, and especially when they undertake travel. Every instance of travels reminds one of Junaid’s journey who like Akhlaq and so many other were lynched or brutalised and killed, shot even, only because they were Muslim. I lose hope when I see the attackers go scot-free despite evidence.”

This professional also recounts how ‘Muslim areas’ are looked at with stigma.

“Post the anti-CAA protests (December 2019), auto rickshaws and even Uber drivers would refuse to take us to local Muslim areas in the capital, Delhi, Okhla Jamia etc. The rejection would include this, “hum nahin jayenge, wahan per dangai log (rioters) hote hain.’” (We won’t drive there, rioters live there).

The medical profession ought to be above such hate. Every marginalised and slurred section worldwide however has seen racist discrimination manifest in medical practitioners. One Muslim doctor talking to CJP, again on condition of anonymity, spoke of the pressures of conforming, “There is a need for me in my working environment with my colleagues to be less of a Muslim in order to be a ‘better doctor’. I love my profession, I practise it with a lot of discipline. Why would I need to put aside my religion?”

Dr Muniza Khan is a social scientist based in east Uttar Pradesh, Purvanchal. She spoke to us of how fear has gripped hearts of the ordinary Muslim after the brazen proliferation of hate over the past decade, talking about how public spaces have become more restrictive when it comes to Muslims.

“We cannot carry much loved kebabs when we travel in trains or for family picnics. Earlier it used to be a norm, but now it has become impossible; a special segment of life has been sliced away, now that eating habits are being policed so closely. Our families, also nowadays instruct us not to say words such as “Salam” or “Khuda Hafiz” when we are in public.”

Narrating a specifically harrowing experience, Khan narrates how her work in making education accessible to students has also been marred and set back by discrimination.

“We used to have a 70 year old building that was our school. It was, however, demolished by government authorities. So, we tried our best to find a new building. We went to three different colonies, searching for a place for our school. However, at every place we were told point blank that they will not give the place to Muslims. They would ask us, “which biradari (section) are you”, and once I replied that I am a Muslim, they would immediately decline any space available to us. The irony, however is, that at the end we found a building for our school which, although was 12 kms away, was owned by people who were not Muslims. The only distinction was that this space was not within a gated colony.”

Reflecting on another incident, Muniza Khan also recalls about how people once made an allusion to her homeland being Pakistan. Aghast at this, she asserted that India was where she was brought up in and lives and works, why would she belong to Pakistan and not the land she knows to be her home?

Similarly, Shama, another teacher from eastern Uttar Pradesh, asks about why and how the taboo on meat is a “paabandi” prohibition of dietary habits, despite existing constitutional provisions.

“In our area, meat is completely banned during the 10 days of Dussehra. There is a flurry of enquiries and checking’s on a regular basis. Schools and colleges also enforce vegetarianism and don’t permit students bringing meat in their lunchboxes.” Talking about shared experiences over food with classmates, she asks, “What freedom is this?”

Another, lawyer based in North India, shares her experience of discrimination during past classroom interactions with faculty members, “They would come with preconceived judgements about Muslims and Muslim figures that would just boil over into debates. The right-wing students in the classroom would also hum in agreement, notwithstanding the Muslim students in class. In law firms and think-tanks, the environment would be mostly dominated by non-Muslims, I would often be the only Indian Muslim in these spaces, which would lead to a sense of isolation, alienation and often, during these debates, a feeling of being cornered deliberately.”

The experience of another Muslim lawyer practising in India in the western Indian state of Gujarat reveals hair-raising incidents   everyday humiliation and discrimination faced by the community. On condition of anonymity, the individual has stated that his friends don’t talk to him, that they feel the stigma he faces for working for social issues will reach them. “I am left tanha.” Going further, he narrates how bail listings are delayed and rejected for him because of the particular impression the courts have of him. “My bail hearing gets listed for later or delayed, even at times when others have gotten bail in a similar case charged with the same offence, the very day with ease. It so often happens that bail is then granted in a case only when it is taken up by another lawyer, not a Muslim, after I give a no objection. They see me as someone who only fights for the cases of Muslims which is not true. I often take up cases of other communities, including those from marginalised castes. My colleagues from different religions don’t wish to stand next to me, they engage in mocking me, and after that, resort to avoiding me. These instances are not just faced by me, but my daughters too. One of my daughters was enrolled in a technical course at a reputed institute for a year. However, a few months before her course was about to end, her institute got to know that her father was involved in cases fighting for justice for the marginalised. Immediately after that the instructors started behaving differently with her, they delayed her course, which was supposed to end by the middle of 2023, but it is still ongoing. They would keep delaying the course duration and telling her they would teach her ‘separately from other students’. They seem to just want to stall and delay till she loses interest and hope that she herself opts out without completing the degree.

“My youngest daughter too has faced similar issues in her school. She is a fantastic painter and she won the first prize at competitions twice. However, last time she was rejected and not selected from participating in a competition by the school despite her excellent history. Her morale was broken after that. This is what is done, you make a person lose all their hope and morale. Other advocates that I know from the Muslim community face similar issues. They are humiliated in front of their clients and their morale too is broken down publicly. This happens very often. The whole body is punctured (bit by bit), so you really don’t need to draw blood at all.”

The misguided notion of being beneficiaries of “appeasement politics” too proliferates in India and has become part of the extreme right narrative. Appeasement politics is a rhetorical term used by some political parties like the BJP to counter any demands for minority rights and to portray Muslims as people who have taken undue benefits from the government and the country. The miss-placed argument is that Muslims are undue beneficiaries of “too many passes” and financial and monetary benefits by previous governments. This operates primarily on the assumption that Muslims are secondary citizens and should not ask from the government anything more than their basic rights, because they are not authentic Indians.

Over the years, several conspiracies of Muslims looting land, marrying for mass conversions, and attaining higher ranks in the public services as part of a sinister design to take over India have proliferated. Just this year in October, 2023, the Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, had reportedly given a hate speech where he proudly talked about how he had demolished several religious shrines because they were part of a conspiracy by Muslims to commit “land” and “mazaar jihad.” Many of these conspiracies hatch on everyday normal tasks such as marriage, buying land, performing one’s professional tasks or studying for exams that now become a catalyst for suspicion and fear making public spaces, such as workplace, classroom, public travel, unsafe for Muslims.

Over the past decade especially –though the phenomenon first saw a spurt in decades of the 1980 and 1990s—such hate speech has been proliferating in India with many of its propagators being part of a wide eco-system of organisations wedded to the project to convert India away from a constitutional republic to a theocratic, authoritarian state. In the political arena, it is the members of the ruling BJP who spout hate with immunity. Speech that spews slur and hate is also indicative of the prejudices and typologies of violence Muslims, and other minorities, in India face from a growing tide of discriminatory politics.

In India itself latest reports indicate an alarming 500% surge in cases filed under India’s hate-speech law over the past seven years, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

Danish Ali  Image source: Telegraph India.

There were 255 incidents of hate speech documented at gatherings that targeted Muslims in the first half of 2023 alone. The report further exposes that a staggering 80% of hate speech events transpired in states governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party. Several incidents, including those involving top official leaders such as Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, have been recorded over the year. Similarly, MP Danish Ali was subjected to slurs in the parliament itself by BJP MP Ramesh Bhiduri. Amongst other abuses and slurs, the MP was also called a “terrorist.” Furthermore, there is a clear link between the use of hate speech to foment communal sentiment and lead to anti-Muslim violence, as we saw in the case of Satara this year, which saw widespread violence, which led to houses and mosques being burned as well as the death of one young Muslim man. Local BJP leader Vikram Pawaskar stood accused of orchestrating and fuelling violence against Muslims between August and September 2023.

While large-scale discrimination and violence against Muslims has been recorded by some officials and several government and non-government agencies, the significance of how this intricately woven hate affects microscopic aspects of life that go unexamined is worthy of note.

The persistent shaping of a divisive image, portraying Muslims as the “Jihadi”, wherein immediately an image of an evil, violent and menacing figure comes to mind.

Discrimination in housing is a well-recorded phenomenon. In fact the land that is India deeply discriminated against the Dalit untouchables by compelling this section to live out of the precincts of the village and not even access water from a common well. Today, over past decades, Muslims have clearly been notched into this brutally excluded category.

According to a survey conducted by Saugato Datta and Vikram Pathania in a paper titled “For whom does the phone (not) ring? Discrimination in the rental housing market in Delhi, India”, it was discovered that discrimination in housing is extremely pervasive for Muslims and Hindus. The survey details that the probability that a landlord gets back to an upper caste Indian is 0.35, while for a Muslim applicant it is only 0.22. The article details that an upper caste applicant would have to send 29 queries for housing, whereas a Muslim person would have to search almost twice as much 45.10 queries to be able to get a response.

The internet has been proliferated with multiple unscientific theories surrounding meat-eating, colouring such practices with an inherent impurity attached to the consumption of meat. Attacks by cow vigilante groups or attacks against Muslims who are suspected of eating meat have whipped this societal hysteria up further. Add to this potent base, scrutiny and prejudice associated with religious attire such as skullcaps, hijabs, and burqas etc. And the othering is near complete.

A hope for harmony

 Though sharp and distressing, amidst these varied testimonies also lies an underlying even desperate sense of hope for a lost harmony and shared humanity. Hamza, a professional in the development sector, residing in the capital, New Delhi, offers a slightly different take on the situation.

“There is a need for Muslims to push towards education; it is something we lack.” He further discusses the need for a more enthusiastic participation in public life by Muslims, saying “Say for instance, there is a cricketer who’s played excellently for India, we (Muslims) should congratulate him visibly on social media. There is a shared sentiment in India that “these people” (Muslims) only deal with aspects that concern ‘them and their faith’. There is a necessity to work very, very hard to counter such claims. We really need to work harder.”

Narrating an incident, Hamza Khan recalls, “We really need to get out of the ghetto that this hate wants to push us into and participate actively, increase our education levels, although they have improved somewhat.” Citing an incident from his residential colony from the last Diwali he adds, “Last Diwali we all decided to collect some money collectively to give gifts to security guards and other personnel. All the Muslim families in the vicinity put in money and took the initiative. In fact we saw that people from other community members also admired the initiative and expressed the sadness that they too did not participate.”

However, poet and writer, Hussain Haidry reflects on how firmly entrenched and pervasive propaganda and otherisation of Muslims has become.

“What has happened is that the otherisation is pretty much complete. Now it is very difficult to not be spotted as a Muslim under any circumstance, in any room. Today, I couldn’t pass off (without my identity). Identity is obvious.

“Secondly, while there may not be physical violence, because my class capital and social capital afford me some protections. But, this also exposes you (me) to online attacks, which can easily translate into real life by harming your career and lead to social and economic ostracisation. There may not be an imminent physical threat as such, but online attacks can also affect and attack my career since my livelihood is dependent on that.

“It’s just not the same since 2014 (elections) happened. Not just in the sense that discrimination has increased, but also in the sense that if there is road rage, if this is targeted at a Muslim, me, this can be terminal. Regular conflict can happen between anybody in India. But, for a Muslim, a very harmless tiff can become violently communal. This is something that also contributes to fear.

“See, what happens is, the propaganda swirls, repeatedly sent to non-Muslims, it seeps into their psyche, it builds a new found bias or it creates a misconception and this happens across economic class, caste, gender, age; it is in all forms, at every level. This propaganda exists and is being promoted in every medium, every kind of content, in public spaces such as bus stops, literally everywhere. The content is either pro-Hindutva, pro-BJP or anti-opposition or anti-Muslim. These formulations then collectively reflect in the majority’s psyche, speech and macro-behaviour. This effect reflected in behaviour, enters into vocabulary, after affecting thought and mental attitudes. It is unclear whether it is society that is reinforcing prejudice through propaganda, or it is propaganda that renews this and re-creates and re-enforces this prejudice. It is however so widespread, present across a diverse population, and sadly, the brunt of it is borne by Muslims.”

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The post 2023: Muslims speak up on life amid targeted hatred appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Failing successfully:

The BJP state election campaign committee chairman and former health Minister Eatala Rajender, the seven-time MLA, lost to his arch rival P. Kaushik Reddy of the BRS (Bharat Rashtra Samithi) in Huzurabad Assembly constituency by a margin of more than 16 thousand votes. Notably, in May 2021, Rajender had been expelled from the BRS party over land grabbing allegations in Medak district, after which he joined the BJP and won the 2021 by-election. As per the allegation, the land of some farmers was encroached by Jamuna Hatcheries, a company owned by his wife, in Hakimpet in the Gajwel Assembly segment. Notably, a total of 40 criminal cases have been filed against Rajender which involve Covid-19 protocol and election code violations and unlawful assembly, as per a report of Times of India.

Dubbak MLA M. Raghunandhan Rao also lost his seat to a BRS candidate and Medak MP K. Prabhakar Reddy by more than 53 thousand votes. He had been elected from Dubbak in a by-poll held in the year 2020. As per the affidavit filed by Rao, a total of 27 cases are pending against him. In February 2020, a 47-year-old woman had accused Rao of raping her in 2007, when he was an advocate, after which a rape case was filed against him. More recently, in June 2022, the Hyderabad Police had registered a case under Section 228 (disclosure of the victim’s identity) of the Indian Penal Code against Rao after the legislator had revealed a few images and videos connected to a minor’s gang rape in Hyderabad in June 2022.

The BJP lost another crucial seat in a keenly fought electoral battle from Karimnagar Assembly seat where BRS’ candidate Gangula Kamalakar won by 4 thousand votes, defeating the BJP national general secretary and OBC leader Bandi Sanjay Kumar. Kumar’s name was a regular on headlines, having been accused of paper leaks and malpractice. The BJP MP also had a slew of anti-minority hate speeches to his name. As per a report of the Indian Express, in May of this year, Kumar had delivered a hate speech demanding that mosques across the state should be dug up and if Shivlings were found beneath them, then the sites should be handed over to Hindus. A few months prior to the state election, Kumar had been removed as BJP state President a few months ago and replaced by Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy.

It is essential to note that during the recent state election cycle, on October 17, 2023, Citizens for Justice and Peace had moved the Election Commission of India as well as the Telangana State Election Commission against an election speech delivered by BJP national general secretary Bandi Sanjay Kumar. In the said speech, made on October 10 in Adilabad district of Hyderabad, Kumar had made communally inflammatory and violence promoting comments. The complaint had highlighted that through his speech, Kumar has not only used manipulative and defamatory words against the AIMIM (All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen) party, but also made communally inflammatory remarks to promote violence against Muslims as well as raised calls for conducting encounters.

Meanwhile, Arvind Dharmapuri, who had previously defeated BRS’ K Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter K Kavitha in the Lok Sabha elections from Nizamabad, lost to Kalvakuntla Sanjay, who is also from KCR’s family. He lost by a whopping margin of ten thousand votes. In June 2022, Dharmapuri had been booked for hate speech by the police under Section 505 (1)(c) of the IPC for abusing the then Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. It had been alleged that Sharmapuri had used abusive words against the incumbent CM to degrade the Government’s image, to develop hate and create an unlawful atmosphere, which demanded legal action. As per a report of Newstap, he had called KCR a liar and a criminal and had threatened to “kill him and his hens”. In November 2022, as per another report of Newstap, the residence of Dharmapuri had been allegedly attacked by a mob of people after he had made certain provocative statements against KCR’s daughter Kavitha.

Raja Singh and his legacy of hate swims him through:

BJP leader T Raja Singh, known for targeting the Muslim community and raising the flag of Hinduvta in the otherwise peaceful and harmonious South, came to power for the third time in Goshamahal, which falls under Hyderabad’s Old City. The controversial leader scored a hat-trick from his constituency by defeating Nand Kishore Vyas of BRS and Congress’ Sunitha Rao, securing 80,182 votes in all and 21,457 more than his closest BRS competitor. It seemed that the decision of the party to revoke the suspension of the leader and seeking votes on the basis of his polarising speeches worked after all.

It is essential to note here that on October 22, 2023, a statement was released by the BJP reinstating Singh and revoking his suspension based on his reply to the show cause notice issued to him by the Central Disciplinary Committee. In his response to the secretary of the BJP disciplinary committee Om Pathak, Singh had promised not to do anything that brought disrespect to the party. He had further alleged that he had ‘never criticised Muslims’. As per a report of the Print, party insiders had alleged that Bandi Sanjay Kumar had a hand in bringing Singh back into the fold.

Notably, during the state election cycle, two complaints had been sent by CJP against Singh, seeking action against his corrupt conduct. In the first complaint, sent on October 25, CJP had approached the ECI, highlighting the hate speeches delivered by Singh in Gujarat during the Garba festivities which were aimed at instigating disaffection, spreading misinformation, peddling conspiracies and promoting violence against religious minorities. In the other complaint, sent on November 14, CJP had complained against a hate speech delivered by Singh in his own constituency during an election rally. The said speech had shown Singh indulging in the corrupt practices of promoting enmity between different communities/faiths, raising calls for violence and spreading misinformation to gain votes.

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The post Telangana State Elections: Polarising voters doesn’t yield results for BJP, key leaders lose seats appeared first on SabrangIndia.

But now, the serial hate speaker is back and has given two speeches both located within the state of Gujarat. Through both the speeches, Hindusthani has majorly targeted and provoked Hindu women, urging them to take up arms to protect their dignity, their religion and their nation. As a part of our rigorous hate watch campaign, we have been diligently maintaining a record of the hate speeches being made by her on public platforms. From the pattern of her speeches, a major agenda behind her words, asking women to take the form of Goddess Kali, so that a false image of the revered Goddess combined with a perpetrated sense of insecurity from Muslim men is created in their minds, giving birth to more radicalised and provocative female leaders in like Sadhvi Rithambara and Sadhvi Pragya.

Hindusthani, a calling herself a religious leader, espouses a hard, right-wing, exclusionist ideology, and can be seen delivering incendiary and inciteful speeches through which she has targeted the religious minorities of our country, especially the Muslim community. Her current speeches, which are majorly in Gujarati, repeat the same 3-4 poems that urge the Hindu community to take up arms because “their religion and nation requires it.” In the first speech of the recent set of two speeches, delivered in Surat city of Gujarat, the video of which had been accessed by us on May 27, she delivered another frenzy communal speech, making open calls for establishing a Hindu nation. Through her poems, she called “non-violence a delusion”, something which was not envisioned by Hindu Lords, and said that the Hindus need to be ready now as their “battlefield demands sacrifice.”

The video can be viewed here:

In the other speech, made in the Kutch district of Gujarat, the video of which had been accessed by us on May 28, she delivered another communal and hate-spewing speech. Creating fear and insecurity in the minds of her Hindu audience, of the decline or erasure of their Hindu culture, Hindusthani made open calls to the women to take on the responsibility of protecting the Hindu culture and themselves. Selectively bringing in the issue of the Shraddha Walker murder case (because Aftab Poonawalla the man accused of murder is a Muslim), morphed to advantage the Hindu propaganda of Love-jihad, Hindusthani urges the women to become a Shraddha that can protest herself from Aftab, the accused in the murder case. She even spoke about her case, and said that it was the conspiracy of the Muslims to “shut her mouth”. The case against her in which she has been arrested was for the crime of provoking social disharmony with the potentiality of generating violence. She then states with a brazen impunity that even getting booked and sent to judicial custody will not dissuade her as Rani Lakshmi Bai, an icon of the resistance to the Britishers, was her ancestor.

She then proceeds to spread misinformation by saying that the Gujarat police is scared of acting on the illegal and criminal acts of the Muslims, such as throwing stones and glass bottles at the Hindu community processions, alleging that the police is “scared” of them. She further said that the action taken against her was because she was a Hindu, and to make the headlines, and was the police way of justifying the criminal acts committed by the Muslim population.

She also explained that the “trap” of Love-Jihad is being spread through four mediums- Bollywood, social media, creating an environment of fear and through drugs. She states that the Muslim community agenda behind supplying drugs to every district, every city and every village of our country is to ensure that Hindus are harmed and destroyed. With the aim of ensuring that her audience does not believe any other narrative than promoted by her and her peers, she said that the words uttered and ideology promoted by the left inclined social media, communist and the opposition are all a part of the Muslim agenda, and are working from within the country to create a divide.

The video can be viewed here:

It is crucial to note that Hindusthani has been described as a “crowd puller at the local levels” by her Vishwa Hindu Parishad mentors. Thus, she uses the popular terms, and  frequently raises the issue of so-called “love-jihad” — a term used to describe the alleged efforts of Muslims to convert Hindu women through marriage — along with words such as “land jihad“. Most of the times, she refer to the Muslim community as ‘Jihadis’, and ‘aatankwaadi (terrorists)’.

The arrest of Kajal Hindusthani by Gujarat Police

Kajal Hindusthani, who had been evading arrest for a week after she had been first booked for giving a hate speech at Una town in Gir Somnath district during the Ram Navami celebrations, was arrested finally on Sunday, April 9, 2023, after she surrendered at the Una town police station Sunday morning. A local court sent her to judicial custody after the police did not seek any remand. She was sent to Junagadh jail. On April 13, a Gujarat court had granted bail to Hindustani.

As per the information provided by the police, tension had built up after Hindusthani’s speech in Una as a mob of around 200 people had assembled and allegedly indulged in violence by pelting stones and glass bottles at the homes of people and passer-by’s. They had also vandalised vehicles.

Hindusthani was also booked under IPC Sections 195A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc. and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief).

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The post Gujarat: Kajal Hindusthani delivers two anti-Muslim speeches, urges Hindu women to take up arms appeared first on SabrangIndia.

A First Information Report (FIR) has now been filed by the Maharashtra Salokha Samiti against Hindusthani. In the FIR, the complainants have provided the details of the speech given by her, which is as follows: “Now here he was selling apples with a bag. I really want to get down from the stage and see his Aadhaar card whether the seller is Abdul or Ajay. Small things have to be taken care of. There is a vegetable market next to it and Oh Abdul listen, my Hindu brother is boycotting you.”

The complaints, both women, have also highlighted the other statements made by Hindusthani with the aim of creating a religious divide and religious bias, such as “Tu Kali Ban, Tu Durga Ban, Kabhi Na Burkhewali Ban (become goddess Kali, goddess Durga, but never become a burkha donning woman)”. As emphasized by the complainants, Hindusthani has delivered the said anti-Muslim hate speech with the intention of insulting a certain religious group, creating hostility, hatred and divisiveness, which has the potential to hinder national unity and harmony.

Hindusthani has been booked under section 153A (promoting enmity between groups on grounds of religion, race, language, etc.), 153 B (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 295A (acts, intended to outrage religious feelings), and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

When the SabrangIndia team contacted the police inspector in-charge of investigating this matter, the office provided that no action has been taken yet.

The FIR can be accessed as follows:

At the mentioned rally, Hindusthani was a keynote speaker. As had been previously reported by the Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), she had made misleading and distinctly Islamophobic statements, “In Navi Mumbai, land jihad has become so prevalent that today 25 Bangladeshi Muslims live in one room.” Making an unconstitutional call, urging people to boycott Muslim vendors, Hindusthani claimed that they (Muslims) have taken over our produce and fruit markets. I want you to repeat after me: “We, the people of Maharashtra, will boycott them economically.”

“I urge you to question your Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation,” she said, citing the ‘illegal’ construction of eight dargahs in APMC fruit market, as well as dargahs near Ghansoli and at several Navi Mumbai stations, as was reported by the Indian Express. Provoking people to damage public properties, she said that “only when the women of our households come out and question the authorities will Navi Mumbai be free of them. Do they seek permission to build illegal dargahs? So why do you need permission to demolish their property?”

Continuing with her communal diatribe, Hindusthani had instigated her Hindu audience to not rent or sell their spaces to them. She further added that if this is happening in your neighborhood, form an association with rules stating that anyone who is not an idol worshipper should not be rented or sold a flat.

It is essential to note here that on April 13, a Gujarat court had granted bail to Hindustani, who had been sent to judicial custody for 14 days for allegedly delivering a hate speech during the Ram Navami celebrations that led to communal clashes in Gujarat’s Una on April 1.

She was arrested April 9 on a Sunday morning, after she had surrendered at the Una police station. A FIR had been registered against Kajal on April 2 under sections 295A, 153A and 505 of the IPC.

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The post Kajal Hindustani booked by Vashi police for delivering anti-Muslim hate speech on February 26 appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Bharat Singh Walia, a body builder, calls himself the “modern saadhu” on YouTube, and has over 1.5 lakh followers there. On Instagram he goes by his own name and has over 67,000 followers. On both, he projects himself as a “Brahmin warrior” a caste-indicative term that he explains as meaning “intelligent like a Brahmin and brave like a kshatriya or warriors,” the sacred thread, or janeo on display on his muscled torso.

In many he has his head shaved, and in some he has a beard, styled to make him look like the revered Maratha warrior king Chatrapati Shivaji, he often adds a saffron shawl in many of his photos. However it is not his styling to look like a non-Bollywood version of Akshay Kumar that has put him on the hate watch list. It is his blatant Hinduva style hate speech.

“Garv se kaho hum hindu hain. Is pavan dhara ke bindu hain,” meaning, “Say proudly that we are Hindus, the centre of this holy land,” etc. are benign when compared to him amplifying learnings from Whatsapp university. He claims Hinduism is fragile and vulnerable and even blames the 2022 exodus of Hindus from Kashmir on ‘others’, 

“Don’t mess with someone who has the brains of a Brahmin and the power of a Kshatriya,” warns Bharat Singh Walia. A video shows him swinging an axe around with a threat that he will “fill your days with pain… and you will spend the future in darkness.”

His post, which recently went viral, was a poster of his video set to an Hindutva song the likes of which are being used by right-wing mobs to publicise their hate attacks, hate speech and harassment of women, Dalits, Muslims, Christians and anyone else they consider “inferior” or an “outsider. Here the words are, “Hindu jagaane aya hoon, main Hindu jaga kar jaoonga.. Marte dam tak apne mooh se jai Sriram gaona… chamak rahi talwar, chamal raha trishul hai… Hindu ko kamzor jo samjhe yeh dushman ki bhool hai.” These lines translate as, “I am here to awaken Hindus, we will say Jai Sri Ram till the end, we have swords and tridents, and our enemy is mistaken if he thinks we are weak.”

Walia, who reportedly hails from Chandigarh has now restricted the comments on this Instagram post titled in all caps, “THE CONDITION OF HINDUS IN INDIA”. He plays a song on the poster of a video, also available here:

However, here lies the twist. He uses the entire video to explain how he shed his “secularism” to turn a “hindutva warrior”. Shirtless, head shaved, janeu in view, Walia ‘explains’, nay attacks, fellow YouTuber and body builder Rubal Dhankar, and one Rajveer as ‘framing’ him. Rubal Dhankar works with the Delhi Police and is a well known YouTuber, and according to Walia these men somehow targeted him with accusations of misconduct with a woman. 

Walia claims that these men are from different castes and thus attacking him. He also claims that he started wearing the “signs of  Hinduism” like the shikha, or the tuft/lock of hair on the top of a shaved head. He also makes claims that it has become difficult for him to move around in India, and in Kerala specifically. His rants take on the tone of dangerous fake news and he claims “genocides” are happening in Kerala. 

He then moves to his core agenda, to incite Hindus and ends saying, “I am against maximum Muslims.” He then invokes the Kashi Vishwanath controversy saying, “I do not leave the decision to the Supreme Court, I leave it to you,” inciting communal hate towards Muslims.

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