When Babri Mosque was being demolished in broad daylight, the slogan being chanted by the leaders was, Yeh to Kewal jahnki hai, Kashi Mathura Baaki hai (This is the beginning, Kashi Mathura are next on the line).  The Supreme Court, despite giving the same land to those who demolished the Mosque, did call it a crime. The Ram Temple was used to the hilt for electoral purposes and for dividing the society along religious lines. The faith that ‘Lord Ram was born precisely at that spot’ was constructed. This constructed faith formed the base of politics and later the judgement of the Courts.

Having achieved this milestone of religious nationalism, now what next? As such there is no dearth of divisive issues, issues based around identity, issues which demonise the religious minorities, marginalise them and give a boost to sectarian nationalism. Some of these are permanently on the agenda like, love jihad, (added on by land jihad, corona jihad, civil service jihad etc.) holy cow, large families, Uniform Civil code among others. There is a regular addition to such issues, through which the majoritarian politics aims to show the majority community as the victim of minorities.

In that sense the issue of Kashi and Mathura are potent issues, which can add on to the already existing plethora of identity issues. In Kashi, abutting the wall of Vishwanath Temple is Gyanwapi Mosque. Some say this was built at the time of Akbar and others say it was Aurangzeb during whose reign it was built. In Mathura, Shahi Idgah mosque stands next to Krishna Janma Bhumi Temple. As per the section of Hindu belief the Holy Trio is Ram, Shiva and Krishna which are the most important deities. So the places of importance become Ram (Ayodhya), Shiva (Varanasi) and Krishna (Mathura) which are the three major places to be retrieved.

While the current narrative being popularized is that scores of temples have been destroyed by the invading Muslim rulers of these at least three have to be retrieved as per Hindu Nationalists. There have also been talks and formulations floating that Jama Masjid in Delhi and Jama Masjid in Ahmedabad are also the places, which have been built on Hindu places of worship. The temple destructions have been dealt with by many scholars of History and Archaeology. Temples have been destroyed for political rivalry, assertion of one’s rule and for wealth. It is not only Muslim kings who destroyed Hindu temples, some of them gave generous donations to Hindu temples. Firmans of King Aurangzeb tell us of scores of temples where he gave donations, to recount just a couple of them- Kamakhya Devi in Guwahati, Mahakal in Ujjain, and Lord Krishna in Vrindavan. He also destroyed a mosque in Golconda when the local ruler refused to give him the tribute for three consecutive years.

D. D. Kosambi points out (Quoted in ‘Religious Nationalism’, Media House 2020, page 107) that Raja Harshdev of 11th Century Kashmir who appointed a special officer, Devottapatna Nayak, to uproot gold, silver and precious stones studded idols during his regime. Richard Eaton tells us about rival Hindu kings destroying the defeated opponents Kuldevata (Clan god) Temple to build a temple of their own clan God. In Srirangatnam Maratha armies destroyed the Hindu temple and Tipu got it repaired! Somehow selective communal historiography has ensured the temple destruction becoming a major seed of divisive politics in India.

If we go a bit further back into history the clash between Buddhism and Brahmanism led to the destruction of thousands of Buddha Viharas. Recently while levelling the ground for Ram Temple groundbreaking many remnants of Buddha Vihar were found. Historian Dr. M.S. Jayaprakash points out “Hundreds of Buddhist statues, stupas and viharas have been destroyed in India between 830 and 966 AD in the name of Hindu revivalism. Both literary and archaeological sources within and outside India speak volumes about the havoc done to Buddhism by Hindu fanatics… many Hindu kings and rulers took pride in demolishing Buddhist images aiming at the total eradication of Buddhist culture.”

In this backdrop where do we go from here after we have seen the mayhem created around Lord Ram Temple in Ayodhya? The social and political fallout of the whole issue has pushed our democracy several steps backwards. It has relegated the religious minorities into the cocoon of second class citizenship.

As Akhil Bhartiya Akhada Parishad has declared that it will initiate the campaign for liberation of Kashi and Mathura, it has also said that in due course the arms of Sangh Parivar will be asked to join in. At the moment RSS is saying that it is not keen on the issue, but it seems it is a matter of time when it will jump into the Kashi-Mathura fray and deepen the impact of the campaign to be launched by Akhada Parishad. Already calling the mosques as two “symbols of slavery”, BJP leader and rural development and panchayat raj minister in Karnataka K.S. Eshwarappa had said on August 5 that “a symbol of slavery disturbs our attention and points out that you are a slave”. He reiterated his stance and said, “… All Hindus across the world have a dream that those symbols of slavery should be removed on the lines of Ayodhya. The masjids in Mathura and Kashi will be destroyed too and temples will be rebuilt.” 

As such legislation is in place which states, “prohibit conversion of any place of worship and to provide for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on the 15th day of August 1947, and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.”

Temple politics has dragged us into the politics, which is against plural, democratic ethos. The success of right wing forces to increase their clout through the Ram Temple campaign may further prompt them to go in this direction, which is detrimental to the progress and development of the country. The hope is that the majority of people oppose such issues being rekindled again.

 * The writer is a human rights defender and a former professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT Bombay).  

Other pieces by Dr. Puniyani:

Scapegoats and Holy Cows
India’s composite culture and Muslim stalwarts
Covid 19 and furthering of sectarian agenda in education
Mahatma Gandhi, Race and Caste

The post Kashi- Mathura: Will temple politics be revived? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

 

In the late 80s and the early 90s, both in the run up to and in the immediate aftermath of the demolition of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya, entire neighbourhoods would reverberate with chants of “Ayodhya Babri toh jhaanki hai, Kashi-Mathura baaki hai!” (Ayodhya Babri was just the beginning, Kashi-Mathura are still left.) This was an open threat to tear down the Gyanvyapi mosque in Kashi and the Shahi Idgah that stands adjacent to the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple in Mathura.

Now, in wake of the Supreme Court judgment in the Ayodhya dispute case and then emboldened perhaps first by the regime’s open support of the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya as evidenced by the Prime Ministers presence at the ‘bhoomi poojan’ on August 5, hardliners are once again resurrecting their demand for ‘liberating’ Kashi and Mathura.

For starters, the infamous slogan has once again allegedly started popping up on social media and in whatsapp groups. The communal flames were reignited after Sudhir Singh, a local politician, gave the call to ‘liberate’ Kashi Vishwanath temple and launched the Kashi Vishwanath Mukti Andolan shortly after the SC judgment in the Ayodhya dispute case. Singh made the announcement at Assi Ghat on Mahashivratri earlier this year and was also arrested and sent to jail briefly for the same.

But this wasn’t his first time behind bars. He had stirred controversy earlier too when he announced a Dandavat Yatra from Sankatmochan temple to Gyanvyapi mosque, the procession was to pass through several Muslim neighbourhoods.

Sudhir Singh who was previously with the Samajwadi Party, is now with Shivpal Yadav’s Progressive Samajwadi Party, though there appears to be nothing progressive about his hardline stance on matters related to religion. In a recent interview to Dainik Bhaskar Singh had brazenly said, “Had the lockdown not taken place, either Kashi Vishwanath would have been liberated, or I would have been jailed under the National Security Act.”

The impunity with which Singh makes such communally inflammatory statements suggests he feels protected by the powers that be. This however does not bode well for the fragile secular fabric of the nation, specifically Uttar Pradesh’s Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb that represents the region’s syncretic culture.

In April this year, in an exclusive interview to SabrangIndia co-founder Teesta Setalvad, Maulana Abdul Batin Nomani, Shahr-Mufti Benaras, had urged India’s vibrant Muslim community to maintain peace and respect the law of the land even amidst a growing atmosphere full of hate and provocation, especially given the challenges posed by the lockdown. He had said, “Violence and bloodshed are never the solution to anything, whatever the provocation. Only love can help establish lasting peace. Only the brotherhood between communities can end hate.” He had further said, “We appeal to all Muslims and non-Muslims, that if you come across hate, respond to it with love. That is the only way to counter it. Eventually, good will and must win over evil. That is how we will prosper as a nation and as a society.”

Kashi Vishwanath – Gyanvyapi controversy

The Gyanvyapi mosque that is adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath temple has been in the eye of the storm with many right-wing organisations keen to turn it into an Ayodhya like dispute. After the conclusion of the Ayodhya case, many whatsapp messages were reportedly circulated containing names of mosques that had allegedly encroached upon temple premises, Gyanvyapi was allegedly on the top of most lists.

The Varanasi based temple and mosque share a common wall. It is alleged that Mughal emperor Aurangzeb had razed the temple in 1664 and the mosque was built on its ruins using the temple’s debris. Hostilities simmered over time and the dispute went to court when the title suit was filed in 1991. The two parties in this case were Kashi Vishwanath Mandir Trust (KVMT) and the Anjuman Intazamia Masjid (AIM). But back then, the Allahabad High Court had imposed a temporary stay on hearings in the case via an order dated October 13, 1998.

However, on February 4, 2020, a local court decided to commence hearings in the case stating that the HC’s order had not been extended within six months with a separate order, and that therefore the stay was deemed to have been vacated. This prompted the AIM to move HC against this decision. The HC then ordered that the stay be maintained and also invited members of the Bar to assist the court in the matter.

Meanwhile, the Sunni Waqf Board (SWB) had moved the Additional District Judge to be made party to the civil suit, a request that was turned down. This prompted them to also move Allahabad HC. In May this year the HC directed its registry to place two separate petitions related to the dispute, one by AIM and the other by the SWB, before an appropriate bench.

On June 11, the Vishwa Bhadra Pujari Purohit Mahasangh (VBPPM) moved the Supreme Court challenging the validity of the Places of Worship Act, 1991. Specifically, it seeks to declare section 4 of the Act unconstitutional. This has far reaching ramifications for several mosques across India. Therefore, the Jamiat-Ulema-i-Hind (JUH), a Muslim NGO, on June 13, moved the Supreme Court, asking for it to be made party to the case in a bid to foil the right-wing attempt to further divide the country along communal lines.

Krishna Janmabhoomi

Meanwhile in Mathura, the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi Trust is already laying claim to the four-and-a-half acre land next to the mosque to use as a Ranga Manch (variety hall) for religious and cultural functions organised by the trust and temple authorities. This has raised concerns about the potential for an Ayodhya like dispute. A Shahi Idgah that stands adjacent to the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple is now in the eye of the storm. It was allegedly built by Aurangzeb after razing a Krishna temple that stood at the site.

Now, right wing website OpIndia says, “In an effort to liberate the Krishna Janmabhoomi at Mathura, Hindu sadhus have now formed the ‘Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Nirman Nyas’ on the lines of Ram Mandir trust.” The trust was reportedly registered on July 23, 2020 and has over 80 ‘saints’ from 14 states as its members.

Acharya Devmurari Bapu, who heads the trust told India TV that a signature campaign will soon be launched to connect other saints and seers for the ‘liberation’ of the Krishna Janmabhoomi. “After the signature campaign, we will launch a nationwide movement on the issue. We had started the campaign in February, but we did not proceed further due to the lockdown,” he said.

Combating Communalism

SabrangIndia’s predecessor Communalism Combat, a publication spearheaded by journalists and human right defenders Teesta Setalvad and Javed Anand, had in its May 2003 issue documented what was dubbed Hindutva’s Hitlist. The publication had documented no less than seven widely publicised statements made by the VHP and BJP, in tandem since December 2002, that are indirect threats to demolish mosques and churches in different parts of the country, in the guise of ‘liberating 30,000 Hindu temples’.

Related:

Kashi, Mathura Mosques on Hindutva’s hit list but that’s not all as India inches towards the Rashtra

Muslims will follow all lockdown protocol during Ramzan: Mufti of Varanasi

Places of Worship Act case: Jamiat-Ulema-i-Hind moves SC, pleads to be made party

Gyanvyapi land dispute case: Allahabad HC stays Varanasi court’s order to commence hearing

The post Are Kashi-Mathura mosques in the crosshairs of hardliners again? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

After his anti-minority diatribe on the Kashi-Mathura debate that he recently held on a primetime show, multiple FIRs have been filed against TV news anchor Amish Devgan for hurting religious sentiments.

In his show which aired on June 15, 2020 titled, ““Barson baad Ayodhya ki aas hui poori, sant kahein Kashi-Mathura kyun rahe adhuri (Only years later the desire for the Ayodhya temple was fulfilled, why should the Kashi-Mathura temples be left behind, ask saints)?” Devgan not only insulted panelists belonging to the minority community but also uttered derogatory remarks against Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti by referring to him as ‘lootere’ (looter/robber) and ‘aakrantak’ (attacker) Chishti.

Sabrang India had done an analysis of this show only to find out that at such a time when there are more important topics like the failing economy and a looming healthcare crisis to discuss about, a sensationalized debate on this topic was just an act of inciting communal hatred and keep the anti-minority sentiment raging.

Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, commonly known as Khwaja Gareeb Nawaz was a Persian Muslim preacher and religious scholar. The famous Ajmer Sharif Dargah houses Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti’s shrine and is visited by people of all faiths from all over the world.

In light of these disparaging remarks, several police complaints and FIRs were filed against him all over the country. FIRs were filed in Mumbai, Aurangabad, Rajasthan, Nanded, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh among other places. Organizations like the Raza Academy, Darul Uloom Chishtiya, Samvidhaan Bachao Manch, members of the Shiv Sena, Samajwadi Party and Jamat Raza-e-Mustafa among many others filed FIRs against the news anchor.

Ajmer Sharif Dargah Thana Police Station – First Information Report – FIR registered against Negative Nationalist Tv Anchor @AMISHDEVGAN #AntiNational #AmishDevgan#ArrestAmishDewgan #ArrestAmishDevgan pic.twitter.com/Q5QueBJkMt

— Haji Syed Salman Chishty-Gaddi Nashin-AjmerSharif (@sufimusafir) June 17, 2020

गिरफ्तारी करके सख्त कार्रवाई की मांग۔
तमाम मुसलमानों की आवाज़ |

#ख़ानक़ाहे_समदिया_फंफूद_शरीफ#Arrest_Amish_devgan pic.twitter.com/Je5moGMr51

— Danish khan (@Danishk79908611) June 18, 2020

Met the Commisioner of @MumbaiPolice – Param Bir Singh ji @CPMumbaiPolice
Requested him to take immediate action against Amish Devgan & arrest him for making derogatory remarks against world renowned saint Hazrat Khwaja Gareeb Nawaz,this won’t be tolerated!#ArrestAmishDevgan pic.twitter.com/SzvtnqercX

— Zeeshan Siddique (@zeeshan_iyc) June 17, 2020

#ArrestAmishDevgan
We demand the Government of India to arrest Amish Devgan and put him in jail pic.twitter.com/OimMdGNxkF

— Sadique Alam Razvi (@sadique_razvi) June 17, 2020

Now Nanded Police of Maharashtra has registered an FIR against Amish Devgan for offence-punishable u/s 295-A of IPC . #ArrestAmishDevgan pic.twitter.com/dYDdqSepa8

— Khizer Patel (@khizer_patel) June 16, 2020

Fire from bhilwara Rajasthan #ArrestAmishDevgan more fir should lodged against Amish Devgan pic.twitter.com/tMf6slnqjd

— Ahtesham Aatif (@AatifAhtesham) June 16, 2020

Raza Academy Demand To File FIR Against News 18 Anchor Ameesh Devgan For His Blasphemous Remarks Against World Renowned Saint Hazrat Khwaja Gareeb Nawaz #ArrestAmishDevgan pic.twitter.com/qG0OURwjTv

— Raza Academy (@razaacademyho) June 16, 2020

पॉपुलर फ्रंट ऑफ इंडिया अंता इकाई की और से आज 18-6-2020 को अमिष देवगन के आपत्तिजनक ख़्वाजा गरीब नवेज़ के लिए कहे जाने पर अंता SDM को ज्ञापन देकर जल्द से गिरफ्तार करने की मांग की।@AMISHDEVGAN #ArrestAmishDevgan pic.twitter.com/gTQKMH6LHj

— mohammad javed (@mohamma84798032) June 18, 2020

“दारुल उलूम देवबंद” ने बहुत ही सख्त अल्फ़ाज़ में न्यूज़ 18 पर #अमीश_देवगन के ‘हिन्दलवली ख्वाजा अजमेरी’ की शान में गुस्ताखी की मज़म्मत की है !
साथ ही हुकूमते हिन्द से चैनल और एंकर के खिलाफ सख्त कार्यवाही की मांग की है !!@PMOIndia#darululoomdeoband #News18 #ArrestAmishDevgan pic.twitter.com/hVaXGIJO1G

— Samajwadi ManzarYar (@SamajwadiManzar) June 17, 2020

After the show aired, #ArrestAmishDevgan (348.4K tweets) started trending on Twitter. It was said that a protest against Devgan was also held outside the main gate of the Ajmer Sharif Dargah.

People protest against Amish Devgan at Ajmer Shareef Outside Main gate of Dargah#ArrestAmishDevgan#BoycotNews18india pic.twitter.com/pQSmBswUri

— ??Faiz Ahmad (@faizahmad_1) June 18, 2020

The chief of the Raza Academy, Muhammad Saeed Noori also met TV 18 officials, demanding them to terminate Devgan with immediate effect. They submitted a memorandum to TV 18 stating that Devgan had misused his position to create unrest between different communities in the country and that his slanderous remarks reached a new low with the insult to Khwaja Gareeb Nawaaz.

Raza Academy Chief Muhammad Saeed Noori Meets TV18 officials, demands to terminate Ameesh Devgan’s Job with immediate effect.#ArrestAmishDevgan pic.twitter.com/VXzIDLfOi4

— Raza Academy (@razaacademyho) June 17, 2020

Soon after he faced unprecedented flak, Devgan took to Twitter to clarify his stance, not apologise, saying that he misspoke and inadvertently referred to ‘Khilji’ as ‘Chishti’.

In 1 of my debates,I inadvertently referred to ‘Khilji’ as Chishti. I sincerely apologise for this grave error and the anguish it may hv caused to followers of the Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti, whom I revere. I have in the past sought blessings at his dargah.I regret this error

— Amish Devgan (@AMISHDEVGAN) June 16, 2020

हज़रत ख़्वाजा मोइनुद्दीन चिश्ती में मेरी पूरी आस्था है: अमिश देवगन@AMISHDEVGAN pic.twitter.com/v2Z4Utif1u

— News18 India (@News18India) June 17, 2020

However, one look at the show will reveal that there was no mention of Khilji in the debate at all. His remark against Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti were made in response to Maulana Ali Qadri’s clarification that not all Muslims had converted forcefully; they had converted out of choice seeing Khwaja Gareeb Nawaz’s teachings and his life. However, the part of Devgan’s speech where he insults Moinuddin Chishti seems to have been deleted from the video of the show put up on the YouTube channel of News 18 India. It can still however be viewed on the YouTube channel of CNBC Awaaz between 37.15 – 37.25 minutes.

The complaints against Devgan have been filed under Section 295A (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), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 505(2) (statements conducing to public mischief) and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) among other sections of the IPC.

Amish Devgan is a repeat offender. Earlier last month, a police complaint was filed against him for spreading fake news of Muslims offering namaaz at the Kurla Masjid in Mumbai amid the lockdown. After the news was proven to be false, he issued a 30-second apology to his viewers for the incident.

Amish had earlier also said that the Delhi violence that took place in February, were “religiously motivated” while insinuating that the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protestors had a part to play in the matter.

Related:

News 18’s Amish Devgan rakes up Kashi-Mathura debate, incites anti-minority hate

The post Multiple FIRs against TV anchor Amish Devgan for insulting Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti on show appeared first on SabrangIndia.