Right-Wing | SabrangIndia News Related to Human Rights Tue, 06 Aug 2024 11:28:19 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 https://sabrangindia.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Favicon_0.png Right-Wing | SabrangIndia 32 32 Chaos in Bangladesh provides opportunity to right-wing social media to spread misinformation regarding Hindus, temples being attacked in the country https://sabrangindia.in/chaos-in-bangladesh-provides-opportunity-to-right-wing-social-media-to-spread-misinformation-regarding-hindus-temples-being-attacked-in-the-country/ Tue, 06 Aug 2024 11:28:19 +0000 https://sabrangindia.in/?p=37107 False news regarding rape of Hindu women, arson of Hindu temples being spread, fact-checkers take to busting these false narratives, sharing videos of students protecting temples in Bangladesh

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]]> Yesterday, on August 5, in a significant turn of events, Bangladesh saw a turn in their government with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigning and leaving the country on Monday in the afternoon and Army chief Waker uz Zaman stating that an interim government will take over the power. The ex-prime minister had left the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on a helicopter with her sister, and landed at Hindon Air Base in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad in a C-130 transport aircraft. On the morning for August 6, at 9 am, she has now left for her next destination.

It is to be noted that Hasina’s decision was prompted by the weeks-long protest against 30% reservations to select groups in government jobs and educational institutions. After this decision for reservation was made public, protestors took to the streets to question the quota of reservation being granted to the third generation of freedom fighters, and demanding a total merit-based recruitment. While the protests had begun peacefully in June against the quota system, the student-led movement later turned into a people’s movement. This escalated to a protest to oust Sheikh Hasina, who won for the fourth time in the January elections. The protests against the dictatorial government saw violence as brute force was used by the police against protestors, leading to the deaths of dozens of people. Over 100 people died over the weekend prior to the resignation of ex-PM Hasina. The weekend also saw the Bangladesh government ordering a complete internet shutdown as protestors asked the general public to join a “Long March to Dhaka”. A nationwide curfew had also been imposed indefinitely. However, around 1:15 pm on Monday, a government agency gave a verbal order to start broadband internet.

Soon after Hasina left the country, jubilant crowds waved flags and danced in front of cameras. Videos showing tens of thousands of people surrounding government offices and residences in the capital Dhaka started coming up on social media. People could be seen entering the official residence of ex-PM Hasina and stealing things from her house, which included fishes, utensils, clothes, etc. However, the celebratory protests also took a turn for the worst as videos of people vandalising an imposing statue of Hasina’s father, independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in Dhaka, attacking the head with an axe also emerged.

Chaos in the neighbouring Bangladesh had a ripple effect in India as well. As more and more social media images and videos of the protest started coming out, certain social media accounts, known for making inflammatory comments and spreading false claims, started spreading misinformation regarding the Bangladeshi Hindus being attacked by the Muslims in Bangladesh. Claims of the minority population of Hindus being physically attacked and facing sexual violence went viral, along with allegation of temples and Hindu structures being burnt by mobs. However, most of these claims were false and were being spread by fake-news peddlers to create disharmony in India and showcase that the Bangladeshi Hindus were being targeted by the Muslims. Twisting the events into Hindu-Muslim communal agenda has the potential of creating a false narrative, leading to a law-and-order situation between the Hindu and Muslim population in India.

While it is understandable that the unpredictable situation prevailing in Bangladesh as well as the history of violence against minorities in the country would lead to people being apprehensive regarding the safety of Hindus and Christians, the false sense of panic that is being created through propaganda is only contributing to the chaos. However, to counter the misinformation being aired by these certain right-wing social media accounts with the aim of creating panic, a different section also took up the task of correcting ad clarifying these narratives. Mohammed Zubair, a fact-checker with Alt News, has been continuously analysing these false posts and fact-checking these posts.

False narratives and myth busting:

It is essential to note that since yesterday evening, the hashtag of #AllEyesOnBangladeshiHindus had been trending on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter). Even political leaders fanned these misleading narratives and delivered inciteful and violent hate speeches. Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Nitesh Rane, who is a habitual hate offender and spreads his divisive ideology, took up this chance to encourage violence. Taking to X, Rane wrote “If Hindus are targeted and killed in Bangladesh, why should we allow even one Bangladeshi to breathe here. Hum bhi chun chun ke marenge.” (We will also kill each of them selectively)”

https://x.com/NiteshNRane/status/1820527693206892574?t=Pq8anhxMzlofvYKKgsyoCQ&s=08

A series of misleading posts were also put out by the social media account of “Mr. Sinha” through which he had posted unverified videos to directly inflame the situation through fake news, exaggerations, and claims of an imminent genocide on the back of the Hindus in Bangladesh.

Multiple such posts were then fact-checked by Zubair. In one such post, Zubair provided how an old video of a sexual assault case in Bengaluru city involving Bangladeshis was now being shared with a communal claim that Hindu girls are being raped in Bangladesh.

 

Zubair also fact-checked the claims made by other right-wing groups that had provided that a temple had been set of fire by a mob in Bangladesh. Correcting the same, Zubair stated that only a shop in front of the temple in Moulvibazar Kali Bari was set on fire and the temple had remained safe.

Another lie was making rounds on social media, wherein it had been stated that the house of a Bangladeshi Hindu cricketer Liton Das had been set on fire. However, Zubair had clairifed that the house of Mashrafe Mortaza was the one that was set on fire and the news about Das’s house was being wrongly shared to give a communal colour to the incidents.

Other ‘X’ users also fact-checked posts that were spreading misinformation.

Calls for maintaining harmony and protecting minority Hindus reverberate Bangladesh:

Videos showing Muslims in Bangladesh raising calls for protecting the minorities in the country also emerged on social media. In a video shared by Zubair, a Muslim man can be seen and heard making announcement to maintain communal harmony on a loudspeaker from inside the Mosque in Bangladesh. The man can be heard saying “Dear Citizens, we ‘Students Against Discrimination’ are requesting you, during this period of unrest in the country, we all must maintain communal harmony. We should protect Hindu minorities. Protect their lives and their wealth from miscreants/evil forces. It is your responsibility, our responsibility, and everyone’s responsibility. Let’s all be vigilant.”

 

Zubair also shared pictures of the Muslim community members standing vigil outside Hindu temples to ensure that no miscreant takes advantage of the situation and creates communal disharmony.

 

The hashtag #HindusAreSafeInBangladesh has also been trending on ‘X’.

 

Related:

FIRs for hate speech registered against BJP MLAs Nitesh Rane and Geeta Jain: Maharashtra Police to Bombay High Court

Violence Unleashed: Kanwariya Yatra 2024, police vehicle and shops vandalised

Will Bangladesh’s Politics Of Revenge End?

‘Counterproductive’: Attacking symbols of Bangladesh liberation, degrading its founding leaders

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]]> Gurugram: Why are Namaz disruptions on the rise? https://sabrangindia.in/gurugram-why-are-namaz-disruptions-rise/ Fri, 10 Dec 2021 10:00:28 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2021/12/10/gurugram-why-are-namaz-disruptions-rise/ It's Friday, and reports are already trickling in of Namaz disruptions; all eyes are on the Gurugram administration to take necessary action

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]]> Gurugram
Image Courtesy:indiatvnews.com

Today, a Friday, will be yet another test if Gurugram administration will pay heed to the requests made by Members of the Muslim community of the city. Or will it once again go through the motions as Hindutva groups make another attempt to disrupt namaaz yet again?

Videos such as the following have already started appearing on social media:

The Muslim community recently alleged that the government authorities failed to take action against those who have been regularly disrupting the Friday namaz in the city. Community elders say Muslims of Gurugram are being denied their constitutional right to practice their religion.

Mohammad Adeeb, former Rajya MP and a member of Gurgaon Muslim Council, told SabrangIndia that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in power in Haryana, is whipping up the Hindu-Muslim divide ahead of elections in Uttar Pradesh next door. And that these regular disruptions in namaaz are now picking up pace due to that even though the issue of lack of spaces for Muslims to pray at, is an issue that has been discussed for years. Following the recent attacks, the community also “submitted a report to 18 political parties in the hope that they will take up the issue in Parliament and other public fora. Communal slogans and provocative speeches are being made against Muslims, and the authorities are taking no action,” Adeeb added at a recently held press conference in Delhi.

However, even though the district administration has maintained that resolving the sensitive issue was being attempted, and that the city police say they were providing adequate security at all designated namaz sites, such incidents continue with impunity.

The Hindutva groups have been protesting Friday namaz in open public spaces in Gurugram since 2018. It was in the same year that the city administration had designated 37 sites for Muslims to perform the Friday prayers. However, in November this year, the number of sites was cut down to 20 after members of the right-wing outfits continued to protest and disrupt prayers.

The Muslims, however, have maintained that they were forced to use public spaces since there were not enough mosques in the city. “There is no provision made in the town planning for mosques,” said Md Adeeb adding that Gururgram has expanded and even then the spaces for Muslims to build a mosque has not been provided.  

That is why the congregational Juma Namaz were being offered for over two decades in open areas. The urban development body of the city (HUDA) has provided space for one mosque in Sector 57 to the Muslim Community however, that too is under litigation since 2006. 

The background of Namaz disruption as shared by the Gurgaon Muslim Council

May, 2018: Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti which claims to be an umbrella body of 22 far-right wing groups stopped the Muslim Community from reading Juma Namaz on Friday afternoon in more than 10 open areas of Gurgaon. They hurt religious sentiments of Muslims by making inflammatory statements. Representatives from the Muslim Community approached the Administration of Gurgaon to stop this far-right wing organisation from disrupting Juma Namaz at various locations of Gurgaon. During these discussions with the Administration, the Muslim Community was asked to reduce Juma sites so adequate security could be provided to those offering Namaz from unprovoked attacks. Those who negotiated on behalf of the Muslim Community with the Gurugram Administration extensively reviewed close to 108 Juma sites and offered to reduce the sites to 60 as per the request made by Administration. However, the Administration did not accept the list of 60 Juma sites and further reduced this list to 37 for Gurgaon and Manesar area collectively. This list included 3 Masjid of Gurgaon too (the Masjid should not have been in this list of open places). Those who were part of these negotiations from the Muslim Community opposed the bringing down of Juma sites to 37 from the initial list of 108 sites. Since the Administration assured that the list of Juma places can be increased once the dust settles, the Community representatives gave into the request of the Administration.

March, 2021: Post Covid-19 lockdown, incidents of Juma Namaz disruption began, led by one Dinesh Bharti who claims to be the head of a group called Bharat Mata Vahini. He allegedly leads the targeting of these 37 sites where the Administration had promised to provide security and ensure Juma Namaz happens peacefully every Friday afternoon. Intimidation, provocation and incitement to violence have been systematically used by this group to terrorize those congregating to offer Namaz. He has so far succeeded in stopping Juma Namaz at Sector 39, 40 & 43 during March & April of this year.  The Muslim community registered a FIR against Dinesh Bharti on April 16, 2021 (FIR no. 0195) under Section 153-A & 34 of IPC Act 1860; however he remains undeterred. 

April, 2021: Juma Namaz was stopped at these sites by the Muslim Community for the next 3 months.

September to December, 2021: From September 17, Dinesh Bharti and his group started disturbing Juma Namaz and the communal harmony of this city. From October, the umbrella body of far-right wing groups ‘Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti’ joined the fresh anti-Namaz protests which became more aggressive each week. Often protestors were stopped by Police about 50-100 metres away from the Namaz location every Friday. However, since November, many protestors have managed to reach the sites and disrupt Juma Namaz. After Diwali, Govardhan Puja was performed at the spot where Juma Namaz happens in Gurgaon. The Muslim Community stated they will not pray Juma Namaz when Govardhan Puja is performed. However the right wing groups have continued disrupting namaz and instead organising pujas at the same spot.

Secular Hindus and Sikhs who offered their private spaces have also been targeted

Secular Hindus and Sikhs who offered their open spaces have also been targeted by right wing groups in various ways. An example is Gurugram businessman Akshay Yadav who offered a section of his garage/workshop for the community to offer Juma Namaz, according to sources, he has had to move his family out of the city to a safe spot, for fear of attacks from right-wing groups. Another case is of Sherdil Singh Sidhu who heads the Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha at Gurugram’s Sabzi Mandi who offered the basement areas of their Gurdwaras at Sadar Bazar, Sector 39, Sector 46, Model Town and Jacobpura to Muslims for offering Juma Namaz. This too was targeted by right wing groups.

While the Muslim Community filed a Police complaint against the three men who “lead these far-right wing groups who have deeply hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims by making Inflammatory and Communally Divisive statements” it is said that Gurugram Police, is yet to file an FIR has been filed based on the complaint.

The Muslim Community of the ‘millenium city’ say they are “living in fear” and are “extremely hurt and upset to hear the Juma Namaz being called a site of Pakistan and the Namazi’s being called citizens from Pakistan & Bangladesh”. They issued a statement calling this “a sad commentary on the state of affairs in this city which is the melting pot of people who have come from far corners of the country to make a life that an entire section of hard working citizens have to live not only in fear but also face constant humiliation.”

They have once again asked the Administration “to act and their action needs to reassure everyone that irrespective of religion, caste, and ethnicity Gurugram will defend the rights of all those who are suffering because of a small group of people who want to take law in their own hands. This cannot be allowed at any cost. It is the duty of the Administration to protect the Muslim community from the kind of attacks it is facing in Gurugram.”

Muslims have only two operational mosques

According to the community, while “118 sectors have been added in Gurugram” Muslims have only two operational mosques. “The mosque in Sector 57 was given to us in the year 2004. Subsequently Court Case was put in Lower & High Court and stay had been obtained to further construction of Masjid. The case was granted in favour of the Muslims. After a few months, a case was filed in the Supreme Court and yet again stay for further construction of Masjid was obtained. Presently the Masjid in Sector 57 has a capacity of 300 people. Juma Namaz (Friday afternoon congregational prayers) happens 4 times at every half an hour from 12.30 pm onwards. This way at the most 1,200 people can offer their obligatory Juma Namaz in Sector 57 Masjid. The other Masjid is at Rajiv Chowk of Gurugram which got clearance from the high court 6 years back. Till date, the Muslim Community of Gurgaon is awaiting possession from the authorities in order to build our Masjid,” they say.

Muslims of Gurugram are seeking that space is allotted for a Masjid and that they will pay for it. “Town Planning has allocated 42 or more temples and 18 or more Gurdwara’s; however only 1 piece of land given in Sector 57 given by State Government to build Masjid. The Constitution of India grants equal rights to all its citizens for worship; hence 5 lakh Muslims staying & working in satellite town of Gurugram have a right to their place of worship. The number of allotments should at least resonate with the population requirements,” stated the Gurgaon Muslim Council in its representation signed by Mohd Adeeb, Altaf Ahmad, and Mufti Saleem

Muslim groups reject sites ‘proposed’ by right wing affiliates

Meanwhile, Muslim groups reject sites ‘proposed’ by right wing affiliates as they are impracitaly far away from the city. The right wing groups continue to escalate their ongoing disruptions of namaaz in Gurugram, and the city’s administraion pruning the number of sites permitted members of the Gurgaon Muslim Council and Muslim Ekta Manch met the District Commissioner on Tuesday demanding that the district administration ensure that law and order is maintained as they will continue to offer Friday prayers at the 37 sites agreed upon in 2018. Right wing groups such as the Muslim Rashtriya Manch (an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS) and Imam Sangathan had met the deputy commissioner a day earlier and claimed they “reached an agreement to not offer Friday prayers at sites.”

However, according to Altaf Ahmad, co-founder of Gurgaon Muslim Council, the community has rejected “any and all such agreements done behind closed doors, in a suspicious manner, by a handful of discredited members of the Muslim community. Muslim Rashtriya Manch is not representative of the Muslim community. We request the CM to constitute a truly representative Aman Committee and resolve the matter in a mutually consultative way.” 

On Monday, Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, which is reportedly the one leading the right wing groups’ protests against namaz in the open, together with Muslim Rashtriya Manch and Imam Sangathan, had told the media that namaz will not be offered at the designated open placesbut that new spaces had been asked for “on rent from the administration to offer prayers”. 

On December 7, a memorandum was submitted to the Deputy Commissioner Gurugram Administration Dr Yash Garg that the Muslim groups, and citizens groups had rejected the “fraudulent attempt to stop Juma Namaaz in open spaces” and put on record that the administration had accused the community “that Juma namaaz in open public spaces will continue till the Muslim Community gets a practical and viable alternative spaces.” However, there have been open threats by Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, stated the letter, naming convener Mahavir Bhardawaj who has reportedly said that “he will disrupt all Juma namaz in open spaces from 10th December 2021 onwards. No police or legal action has been taken against him for these open and blatant threats and hate mongering against the Muslim Community.”

They reiterated that “Muslims in general do not trust Muslim Rashtriya Manch or a handful of Maulvis, and they are not the voice of genuine and reasonable Muslim citizens of Gurugram,” adding that it was a “very small fringe and discredited group” that was now claiming to represent hundreds of Maulvis and thousands of Muslims. They asked if the meeting also had members of the District Administration present. 

The Gurugram Muslim Council has called the right wing groups’ proposal “fraudulent” and “impractical” adding that it has the potential to “create severe problems for Muslim Community citizens as well others citizens of Gurugram”. The Council requested Haryana Chief Minister to constitute “a truly representative Aman Committee, and resolve this matter in a mutually consultative way” and said that the community will “continue to offer Juma namaz at all the 37 sites agreed upon in 2018, and demand that the District Administration ensures that law and order is maintained.”

According to Hindustan Times, Dr Yash Garg, deputy commissioner, Gurugram, confirmed that some members of the Muslim groups met him on Tuesday and handed over a letter, adding that the proposals will be reviewed “and will try to resolve this issue at the earliest. We will ensure that sentiments and interests of every community are safeguarded.” According to the report, Gurugram Police said they have not received any application or request that Muslims will offer namaz at 37 sites this Friday. 

In early November, Gurugram administration had withdrawn permission to offer namaz at eight public sites. The administration has cited “objection from local residents and resident welfare associations” as the reason for doing so. There were 37 designated sites approved by administration, before some local residents backed by Hindutva groups began objecting to the congregational Muslim prayers. The cancelled sites were: Bengali Basti in Sector 49, V block DLF phase 3, Surat Nagar Phase 1, outside Kheri Majra village, near Daulatabad village on Dwarka Expressway, Sector 68 near Ramgarh village, near DLF square tower, from Rampur village to the Nakhrola road. According to news reports, there is still no decision taken yet on the designated namaz sites in Sector 47 and Sector 12-A. These two spots were the focus of the Hindutva group’s ‘protests’.  

Gurugram administration had also formed a committee comprising a Sub-Divisional Magistrate, an Assistant Commissioner-level police officer, members of Hindu and Muslim communities and social organisations. This committee was to decide the final list of places where namaz would be offered in the city. 

However, on Friday, December 3, Hindutva groups once again gathered to demonstrate against namaz at the Sector 37 site amid heavy police presence.Over seven people were detained by the Gurugram police in Sector 37 that day. The namaz site, which has been operational for years, is close to the Sector 37 police station. Protesters have been detained before, yet they return every Friday, week after week, for months now. 

Related:

You know it’s Friday in Gurugram, when Hindutva groups disrupt namaz!
Gurugram: Will the right-wing agenda of dividing Muslims and Sikhs over namaz space succeed?
Gurugram: Gurdwaras, Hindu shop owner, offer space for namaz
Gurugram: Hindutva leaders conduct Govardhan Puja at namaz site 
Haryana: Gurugram administration withdraw permission to offer namaz at eight public sites

 

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]]> You know it’s Friday in Gurugram, when Hindutva groups disrupt namaz! https://sabrangindia.in/you-know-its-friday-gurugram-when-hindutva-groups-disrupt-namaz/ Fri, 03 Dec 2021 13:21:10 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2021/12/03/you-know-its-friday-gurugram-when-hindutva-groups-disrupt-namaz/ Yet again, right-wing goons created a ruckus and held demonstrations at Gurugram’s Sector 37 namaz site amid police presence

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]]> Gurugram
Image Courtesy:tribuneindia.com

Gurugram’s right-wing groups seem so eager, and are so punctual to reach sites where Namaz is offered, one would think they are keen to pray too. However, as they are expected to perform to rise in the eyes of their political bosses, they create a ruckus, shout slogans and try to confront Muslims, including the elderly who have gathered to offer namaz. All of this is ofcourse dutifully documented and relayed on social media.

The methods vary week to week, sometimes they find reasons to offer elaborate Hindu prayers at the exact same site as the namaz, at other times they stick to the usual confrontation tactics. Thankfully, the Muslims gathered there for namaz did not respond to the confrontation. Slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram‘ are raised even as namaz is being offered amid heavy police presence. Most of the disruptors wear saffron scarves as badges identifying their allegiance to Hindutva wing groups.

Yet again on this Friday, December 3, Hindutva groups gathered to demonstrate against namaz at the Sector 37 site amid heavy police presence. Soon clips on social media showed the local police picking up a couple of  protestors from the site. According to The Quint, over seven people were detained by the Gurugram police in Sector 37 this Friday. The namaz site, which has been operational for years, is close to the Sector 37 police station. Protesters have been detained before, yet they return every Friday, week after week, for months now. This Friday, among those detained is Dinesh Bharti of the Bharat Mata Vahini. Bharti has been among those fuelling these protests across Gurugram since September.

This week, they gathered around noon, and began sloganeering and arguing with police personnel. “We are not doing anything wrong,” screamed a right wing protester in a video, asking, “This is our village, how can you not allow us to come here?” Meanwhile, others chanted their slogans like war cries. According to news reports, some of the saffron groups even parked their trucks at the plot citing “parking issues” earlier in the day. 

The Muslim community via the Jamait Ulama-i-Hind had alerted the administration that several Hindutva right-wing leaders have been making provocative statements in an attempt to spread disharmony. They submitted a complaint to Deepak Saharan, DCP West Gurugram, however it is not yet known if an First Information Report (FIR) has been lodged based on that.  

Last month, the Sikh community, offered an open space in their gurudwara (a Sikh place of worship) compound to the Muslim community for the congregational prayers. According to sources, the prayers, if they were held, would have been outside the main gurudwara in the courtyard or in the basement community hall. However, the prayers were not held at the gurdwara, and right wing groups began building pressure, and even came to protest at the venue.  

On December 2, the right-wing groups had threatened to disrupt namaz again on Friday and informed the district administration about their intention to adopt any means, reported Hindustan Times. They reportedly said they will resort to “violence if necessary, to stop Muslims from offering Friday prayers in public places.”

 

Related:

Gurugram: Will the right-wing agenda of dividing Muslims and Sikhs over namaz space succeed?

Gurugram: Gurdwaras, Hindu shop owner, offer space for namaz

Gurugram: Hindutva leaders conduct Govardhan Puja at namaz site 

Haryana: Gurugram administration withdraw permission to offer namaz at eight public sites

Anti-Muslim hate on streets: Vendors beaten, forced to chant Jai Sri Ram, boycotted, dargah desecrated

Gurugram: Hindutva groups disrupt namaz, 30 detained

Haryana lifts decades old ban, allows gov’t employees to join RSS, Jamaat-e-Islami 

Will the HM Amit Shah share which national highway was blocked for namaz?

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]]> Gurugram: Will the right-wing agenda of dividing Muslims and Sikhs over namaz space succeed? https://sabrangindia.in/gurugram-will-right-wing-agenda-dividing-muslims-and-sikhs-over-namaz-space-succeed/ Mon, 22 Nov 2021 12:19:12 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2021/11/22/gurugram-will-right-wing-agenda-dividing-muslims-and-sikhs-over-namaz-space-succeed/ Fuelling hate in Gurugram is a right-wing backed step in disturbing this peace between the two communities, who have stood together on many issues

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]]> Right-Wing
Image Courtesy:hindustantimes.com

Right-wing forces seem to be keeping their focus on Gurugram. A few days ago, their plans to disrupt namaaz once again were foiled by the Sikh community, which offered the open space in their gurudwara (a Sikh place of worship) compound to the Muslim community for the congregational prayers. According to sources, the prayers, if they were held, would have been outside the main gurudwara in the courtyard or in the basement community hall.  

However, the prayers were not held at the gurudwara this Friday. As soon as the news of the Sikh community offering some space to the Muslim community spread, it was reported that right wing groups began building pressure, and even came to protest at the venue. Friday was also Gurpurab, which marks the birth of the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak Dev and is the biggest festival of the community.

Altaf Ahmad, co-founder of Gurugram Nagrik Ekta Manch, a citizens’ group that works towards peace-building, told the media that Muslims were unable to pray in the gurudwara because Hindutva leaders “were waiting outside to disturb communal harmony”. However, a delegation of Muslims did go to visit the Sona Chowk Gurudwara in the Sadar Bazaar area of Gurugram on Friday, to thank the Sikh community for their gesture of peace and fraternity. Mufti Mohammad Saleem, president of the local chapter of the Jamiat Ulema E-Hind.

According to news reports on Gurpurab, over a dozen men who claimed to be members of the Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, the umbrella body of right-wing Hindutva groups, had gathered outside. The Samiti has been at the forefront of the anti-Namaaz protests that have been held each week in the city that is a part of the National Capital Region.  has been opposing namaz in public spaces. This time they distributed copies of a book about the ninth Sikh guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, titled Hindu Dharma ki Raksha ke Liye di Gayi Shaheedi ki Mahaan Gatha, Guru Tegh Bahadur, Hindu di Chaadar (The great saga of martyrdom for the protection of the Hindu religion: Guru Tegh Bahadur, the protector of Hindus). As reported, Namaaz was not held at the gurdwara that day, as the Muslim community had already decided. 

Crucial meeting held on Sunday November 21 at Gurugram

Meanwhile, on Sunday November 21, a delegation of Sikh leaders, some from Punjab, came to the Gurudwara at Gurugram, to take stock of the situation, as the news had made international headlines. According  to Daya Singh, a long time member of the Gurudwara, and a member Gurugram Nagrik Ekta Manch, there was even some distorted/ fake news that the namaaz was to be offered in the sanctum sanctorum of the Gurudwara.

“I told them that this was not the case, I have been a secretary of the Singh Sabha and I am a member here,” he told SabrangIndia. He recalled that in the 70s- to the 80s, the Sikhs were being targeted and it is the same approach being used to target Muslims today. “The first experiment of the RSS was on the Sikhs, even though the government was that of the Congress then. The RSS was not visible in the front, but they were changing their mindsets. We [Sikhs] were being alienated then, now Muslims are being alienated.”

He said the words used to alienate were also similar, “terrorists, traitors,” and that attempts are being made to repeat this history of hate against Muslims. Gurugram Nagrik Ekta Manch, he said, rose in 2018 when the Muslims were again not allowed to offer namaz. “I had intervened then and said even then that namaaz being offered is not a crime. They are slokas of [Sufi saint] Baba Farid in the Guru Granth Sahib,” said Singh. According to Singh, the unity and brotherhood between Sikhs and Muslims, as has publicly been displayed in the farmers’ protest over the  past 12 months, has shaken the right wing forces. As did the unity between the Jaat and Muslim communities. The three said their prayers together at the protest site, as well as organised and shared multiple langars or community kitchens. It is this coming together of communities together will spoil any communal hate agenda on the right wing planner.

Fuelling hate in Gurugram is a right wing backed step in disturbing this peace between the two communities

Daya Singh, as the spokesperson of the Gurugram Sri Guru Singh Sabha also wrote on his Facebook page, “When Sikhs were butchered during 1984, Muslims all over the country stood by Sikhs, then why not Sikhs must come out with open hands if Muslims are in trouble.” The Sikh code of conduct or Sikh Rehit Maryada is a code of conduct that is clear on the rules of conventions for Sikhism, he says. On Friday, members of the Gurgaon Nagrik Ekta Manch, Mohd Adeeb and Altaf Ahmad, were also part of the delegation that came to the Gurudwara on Gurpurab. The Muslim delegates were honoured with saropas [ceremonial scarves] and they too reaffirmed their cordial relationship with the Sikh community.

On Sunday, too there were some representatives of the Muslim community at the meeting, said sources. The meeting has now decided that if the Muslim community send a proposal seeing a space to offer namaz the Gurudwara Committee will discuss it. There is a basement, and a schoolyard next door. Namaz is not permitted in the gurudwara’s sanctum sanctorum ever. Daya Singh recalled how a delegation of Muslims from Malerkotla had gone to the Golden Temple to meet the Akal Takth’s officiating head, Giani Harpreet Singh [to seek his support during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests ] and were invited to offer namaz at the courtyard between the Akal Takht. The images of the congregational prayers had gone viral.

It is this unity that the right wing groups are trying to break, reiterated Singh, “I told them we [Sikhs] have a rapport with Muslims. Guru Nanak was accompanied by Bhai Mardana a Muslim, who would have offered namaaz too.” He added that the right-wing was also distorting history to suit their purpose. For next Friday, if  the Muslim community apparoaches the gurudwara the issue will be discussed. “For now the Muslim community has said we will come only if in dire need. However they are happy that we [Siks] are with them and that they have not been alienated,” Singh told SabrangIndia, adding “when a community stands together it is a different matter. Many people have appreciated this unity.” 

Hate speech continues to fuel animosity

However, there are some like Ravi Ranjan Singh who has been saying on video that the “Gurugram Gurdwara, [was] besieged by Taliban/neo-Talbistani” as he is describing Muslims. He also alleged that Gurugram’s muslims were “blocking roads” to offer namaz. According to Daya Singh however, the Rashtriya sikh Sangat group of Ravi Ranjan Singh is an affiliate body of the RSS. According to Daya Singh any complaints must be filed with the gurdwara management committee. Ravi Singh has in all effect threatened and accused the gurdwara committee of disrespecting the Sikh code of conduct. Ravi Ranjan Singh continues to raise the bogey of “love jihad” in this communal video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fmrBXhamjk . On other social media pages, he has called for the Sikh community to stand “against such immoral acts”.

Related

Gurugram: Gurdwaras, Hindu shop owner, offer space for namaz
Gurugram: Hindutva leaders conduct Govardhan Puja at namaz site 
Haryana: Gurugram administration withdraw permission to offer namaz at eight public sites
Anti-Muslim hate on streets: Vendors beaten, forced to chant Jai Sri Ram, boycotted, dargah desecrated
Gurugram: Hindutva groups disrupt namaz, 30 detained
Haryana lifts decades old ban, allows gov’t employees to join RSS, Jamaat-e-Islami 
Will the HM Amit Shah share which national highway was blocked for namaz?

The post Gurugram: Will the right-wing agenda of dividing Muslims and Sikhs over namaz space succeed? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

]]> Kisan Mahapanchayat calls for harmony, right-wing adds communal twist https://sabrangindia.in/kisan-mahapanchayat-calls-harmony-right-wing-adds-communal-twist-0/ Mon, 06 Sep 2021 04:39:38 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2021/09/06/kisan-mahapanchayat-calls-harmony-right-wing-adds-communal-twist-0/ Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait says “Allahu Akbar”, crowd responded with “Har Har Mahadev” as sign of unity

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The right-wing’s internet forces, including many ‘influencers’ who have lakhs of followers collectively spent Sunday in trying to communalise the Kisan Mahapanchayat held at Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, on September 5. Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait had from the stage made a public attempt to invoke communal harmony, and raised the slogan “Allahu Akbar” the sea of humanity gathered then responded with “Har Har Mahadev”.

Tikait told the gathering that his father Mahendra Singh Tikait, who is revered in the farming community of the area, had raised both these chants together to encourage unity of farmers. He added that politicians “will divide, we [farmers] will unite people.” Soon the trolls of the IT cell were supplied with edited clips of Tikait only chanting “Allahu Akbar” from the stage. Chanting ‘god is great’ in any language for any religion is not illegal in any form. However, the right-wing trolls had their assignment and agenda set for the day and soon targeted Rakesh Tikait ‘accusing’ him of raising ‘Islamic slogans of “Allahu Akbar” in the Kisan Panchayat. 

Tikait’s speech invoking the Muslim-Hindu slogans was an attempt to offer a symbol of solidarity in the area which had witnessed one of the worst communal clashes between Hindu and Muslim communities in 2013, coincidentaly in the same month. Over 60 people had died, mostly Muslims and many more had been injured. More than 40,000 Muslims were reportedly displaced in the aftermath of the riots which have had a long lasting social and political impact in the state. 

In March 2021, a court in Muzaffarnagar allowed withdrawal of cases against BJP leaders like Uttar Pradesh minister Suresh Rana, MLA Sangit Som, former MP Bhartendu Singh and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Sadhvi Prachi, in connection with the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots case. After the incident, arrests were made and the National Security Act (NSA) was also invoked. However, later on, the NSA advisory board had revoked the charges against them and bail was granted.

At the Mahapanchayat on Sunday September 5, 2021, many speakers recalled the Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013 and asked farmers to condemn and reject communal politics. “The Kisan Mazdoor Mahapanchayat declared that the farmers will never allow communal riots to happen in the future. Kisan Andolan will always give slogan to strengthen Hindu-Muslim unity,” they declared in an official statement issued after Mahapanchayat.

The Samyukt Kisan Manch (SKM) accused the Uttar Pradesh government of “ruling on the policy of ‘divide and rule’ and communal policy of caste and religion of the British government”. The SKM said that this “Mahapanchayat is to send a warning to the Union and the State government. Despite the rally of lakhs of farmers with the support of all castes, religion and class, if the government does not repeal all three agricultural laws and does not give legal guarantee for the purchase of agricultural products, then the movement will be intensified.” 

The right wing response

However, the right-wing also did their best to flood social media with statements manipulating what had occured with statements such as, “The connotations are clearly on the lines being peddled by global anti Modi, anti India, ISI, Khalistani, Canadian cabal. The script is being handed from there.”

 

According to Uttar Pradesh’s Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, those gathered for the Mahapanchayat were “not farmers but people from SP, BSP, Cong, RLD portraying as farmers in the Mahapanchayat. The real farmers are with the BJP.”

When TV journalist Chitra Tripathi of Aaj Tak, called pro government ‘godi media’ by the farmers, was refused entry by the farmers and was escorted out of the grounds, it was projected as farmers harassing / attacking a ‘woman journalist’. The fact that there were scores of other journalists reporting from the event without any hindrance was conveniently ignored. 

 

 

Mission Uttar Pradesh-Uttarakhand

Muzaffarnagar Mahapanchayat has effectively launched the Samyukta Kisan Morcha’s (SKM) Mission Uttar Pradesh-Uttarakhand. The goal is to amplify the farmers’ movement all over these states and demand the repeal of the three contentious farm laws, withdrawal of Electricity Amendment Bill 2020, and assert a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) at one and a half times the comprehensive cost for all agricultural products.

Politically, the area has been a Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) stronghold, till the ‘Modi wave’ led to the rise of the BJP in 2014. Now the influential Khaps of community / clan groups such as the Balyan Khap lead by Naresh Tikait brother of Rakesh Tikait, have sounded the clarion and have called for change, as UP readies for polls in 2022. “People of UP will not tolerate (Home Minister) Amit Shah, (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and (UP Chief Minister) Yogi Adityanath. If we have governments like this, there will be riots,” said Tikait, adding that the government had not met the farmers at all since January 22. 

September 5 marked day 283 of the farmers protest

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha estimated that over 10 lakh farmers from across the nation came together for the Kisan Mazdoor Mahapanchayat in Muzaffarnagar. According to the SKM farmers had come from “Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and other states.” They stated, “Kisan Mazdoor Mahapanchayat will be remembered as a historic day, and will prove to be a turning point in Indian political landscape.” They called for a Bharat Bandh on September 27.

The SKM accused the Adityanath-led UP government of not fulfilling “even 20% of the promised procurement” adding that while “the UP government had promised loan waiver for 86 lakh farmers, while only 45 lakh farmers have received the loan waiver,” and that “in 2019-20, only 47 lakh farmers were paid, where crop insurance companies earned a profit of Rs 2,508 crore”. The Kisan Mazdoor Mahapanchayat also announced “an agitation in the upcoming meeting of the SKM demanding a rate of ₹ 450 per quintal for sugarcane as promised by the Uttar Pradesh government.”

The ‘other Gandhi’ spoke for farmers

A big surprise of the day was the ‘appeal’ by BJP’s MP from Pilibhit, Varun Gandhi who called for a “re-engagement” with the protesting farmers, saying, “They are our own flesh and blood. We need to start re-engaging with them in a respectful manner: understand their pain, their point of view and work with them in reaching common ground.” The tweet went viral, and while the party is yet to make an ‘official’ response public, this statement from an insider is likely to ruffle a few feathers, at least in the state that is seen as a crucial one for BJP to retain power in.

Related:

Over 500 Bihar farmers join week-long protests at Ghazipur border
Haryana gov’t doesn’t fire Ayush Sinha, just transfers him
Farmers call Karnal lathicharge “Death of democracy!”
SKM’s all India Convention begins at Singhu border

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]]> Love Jihad bogey derailed in Mangaluru https://sabrangindia.in/love-jihad-bogey-derailed-mangaluru/ Fri, 26 Mar 2021 13:25:45 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2021/03/26/love-jihad-bogey-derailed-mangaluru/ Right wing fundamentalists who had thus far been promoting the specter of love jihad were left shellshocked when their own strategy backfired, and police arrested a twice-married Hindu man for allegedly raping a Muslim widow

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Giving much fodder to right wing groups out on the hunt for so called “love jihad” cases, a woman in Mangaluru had alleged that her 62-year-old husband had been abducted and “forced to marry a 22-year-old Muslim woman”. However there is a stunned silence from those who were hopig this would fuel some communal tensions, after it was revealed that the man has been accused of rape and arrested.

The 22-year-old woman has accused 62-year-old Gangadhar of the heinous crime and he has been arrested by the Mangaluru South Police who registered the woman’s complaint. Police have charged Gangadhar, an onion trader, of sexual assault. According to a report in The HIndu, it was on March 23, that a 52-year-old woman named Yashoda K., had filed a complaint with the Mangaluru South Police stating that her husband Gangadhar, had been abducted. She alleged that he had been “forced to marry a 22-year-old Muslim woman”. Soon enough, the Mangaluru unit of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), amplified her accusation and began terming this to be a case of so-called ‘love jihad’. According to Dajiword, Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Sharan Pumpwell alleged that “Love Jihad” by using ladies with the specific aim of trapping men from other religions is being carried out. He has asked the police to investigate the case with diligence and punish the guilty. 

In her “complaint” alleging “Love Jihad”, Yashoda had said that “Gangadhar, who went away on a business trip, has not returned since the last week of January this year”. She added, “When we called on his mobile phone, he received the call and spoke on February 8. Thereafter he is not available for contact on mobile phone. Friends informed me that my husband was forcibly married to a Muslim lady on March 15 and also provided evidence.” They reportedly sought ‘a special investigation’ into the matter. However, they could not have even imagined the outcome.

On Thursday, March 25, Police Commissioner N. Shashi Kumar told the media that an investigation team had traced the 22-year-old woman. He added that the woman was a widow and was the mother of a child. According to police it was Gangadhar who reportedly introduced himself as Abdul Anees to her. He promised to marry her and allegedly raped her. According to The Hindu, the young woman became pregnant, and Gangadhar admitted her to Government Lady Goschen Hospital for an abortion. However, she had health problems, and Gangadhar is reported to have “formally married” her a few days ago.

However, the Mangaluru South Police traced and arrested Gangadhar, charging him under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code. The Police Commissioner told the media that the police suspected that Yashodha’s “complaint was an attempt to give communal colour to Gangadhar’s action.” She was Gangadhar’s second wife and now the police have said they will also probe the role of “two of Gangadhar’s friends in connection with the sexual assault on the Muslim woman.”

Now thrice-married Gangadhar, reportedly has five children from his first two wives. The police have also said if any other woman has been victimised by Gangadhar, she should approach the police.

Related

BJP’s election manifesto in Assam promises “corrected” NRC, end of “Love Jihad”
UP’s Hindutva goons harass Catholic nuns, teens on Delhi-Orissa train
25 arrests in three months under Madhya Pradesh’s ‘Love Jihad’ law

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]]> What do right wing trolls earn by insulting India’s farmers? https://sabrangindia.in/what-do-right-wing-trolls-earn-insulting-indias-farmers/ Sat, 28 Nov 2020 14:07:37 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2020/11/28/what-do-right-wing-trolls-earn-insulting-indias-farmers/ Right Wing affiliated actor Kangana Ranaut, BJP’s Amit Malviya, etc lead troll army in amplifying fake news, and anti farmer propaganda

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While India’s farmers have reached a major milestone in their months long struggle against the passing of the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020 — by Parliament in the Monsoon session, right wing affiliated trolls have been busy vilifying them. 

The protesting farmers are demanding that the laws be repealed, and replaced with a new Act that ensures a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all agriculture produce in the country. They have so far faced the physical might of the states, which have ordered massive police and paramilitary deployment across all border areas of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and all roads leading to the national capital are now under surveillance.

Images of farmers being hit with lathis, water cannons, being met with razor wire barricades and marches by paramilitary forces seem to have inspired the self declared ‘nationalist’ right wing affiliated online influences to begin trolling. They have begun spinning fake news theories in the same way they did when the Shaheen Bagh protests were underway in December 2019. This time too they have begun with abusing the eldery women farmers who were seen marching alongside the men. 

Leading this online onslaught was actor Kangana Ranaut, who shared fake news that the old Punjabi woman farmer (seen in a month old photo) was Bilquis Daadi of Shaheen Bagh. For Ranaut, all old women look alike. And all old women who wear dupattas are Muslim, a community she has no love lost for. Her myopia and lack of information also lead her to believe and amplify the fake news that these women protestors were available for ‘hire’. Similar fake news of ‘pain protesters’ had been floated by the right wing during the anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh. After thousands called out her fake news laden tweet, the actor was forced to delete the tweet. However many took screenshots and fact-checked Ranaut. 

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/WpnyJhNPZa4Ow-P0jCn1VwN5azFpa_fiviaMKTShfoeTq3ihUpSpz4tkgZC8hrpRIF5zSx7phMXRjiNoiXMlinoLLGPKYbnBu8BIwWEdsniOTkKb_uLfnWum2zxiFlD9D4ZHEBAi

Ranaut’s fake news was shut down thousands of times.

 

 

Amit Malviya, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s top IT man, as expected also shared a freeze frame from a viral clip that showed an elederly sick farmer being hit with a baton by a policeman in riot gear. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had shared that image along with thousands of others. Malviya, decided to use the freeze frame and clip taken from the cop’s POV of the laathi mid air, and implied that the old man was not even hit. He then launched a taunt at Rahul Gandhi calling him the “most discredited opposition leader India has seen in a long long time”.

However, he too was served the cold facts by alert social media users who revealed that  Amit Malviya has posted an edited video “to prove the old farmer wasn’t beaten up by police” They shared the entire video clip that revealed the truth.

 

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/D47cQBmXb1yFW-u7o3o9-S383ZHTL3nv2oBAfnXx2vjzOiqzxFVCNwNETB0H2dpsmylJCii4UVDovgKJo68-TyIlH9mFFyjLhmYxecvSFGIQ4n04YNEWkXshsgrTBWbAaWnWVNFh

The laziest troll of the day however was reserved for Vivek Agnihotri, who laughed at a man speaking in English at the farmers’ protest. Agnihotri probably believed that all farmers were illiterate, spoke only one native language, were poor and landless. He too was given a sharp lesson by social media users.

Some disclosed that the English speaking farmer was in fact a cousin of actor turned BJP politician Sunny Deol. In fact, Deol’s actor-politician father Dharmendra, has often prided himself on nurturing his own farms. And Dharmendra’s wife actor-politician Hema Malini has in the past posed pics with farmers on social media.

Meanwhile, many mosques and gurudwaras continued sharing food and water with the farmers, and the Sikh community members have been feeding langar to the policemen on duty.

 

Related:

Agri Minister should meet farmers ASAP: Why wait till December 3?
Top 10 Moments of November 27, 2020
Second peasant strike in two months garners even bigger support!
LIVE Updates on All India General Strike and Peasants’ Protest 2020

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]]> Former IPS officer’s insensitive comment on Swami Agnivesh’s death: New low for the Right-wing https://sabrangindia.in/former-ips-officers-insensitive-comment-swami-agniveshs-death-new-low-right-wing/ Sat, 12 Sep 2020 08:53:18 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2020/09/12/former-ips-officers-insensitive-comment-swami-agniveshs-death-new-low-right-wing/ Mere hours after the demise of Swami Agnivesh, right-wing hate mongers began sharing an ANI tweet maligning the memory of the social activist.

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The wicked never rest, and the caustic hate speech of the Hindutva factions continued unabated on September 12, a day after the death of spiritual leader and social reformer Swami Agnivesh. Social media became a cesspool of posts that maligned the name of late Swami Agnivesh, with people using insensitive, even crass language, some even celebrating his death.  

Following an ANI tweet reporting the demise of politician and social activist Swami Agnivesh, many Right-wing hate mongers retweeted the message with hateful comments alleging “damage to Hinduism.”

What is even more deplorable is that these comments came from former IPS officer M. Nageswara Rao as well.

 

In his bio, Rao describes himself as one who lives for “Civilisational Nation and EQUAL RIGHTS FOR HINDUS” making it abundantly clear where his loyalties lie. The former CBI Director has previously tweeted messages describing religious conversion as acts of aggression.

Many senior journalists and activists have even reported Rao’s objectionable tweet. The fact that it comes from someone so high in Indian law enforcement is testimony to the deep biases that have seeped into the Indian establishment.   

As a testament to Swamiji’s legacy, many came forward to criticise Rao for his insensitive comments. However, his tweet emboldened many others to denounce Swami Agnivesh’s good name, resulting in yet another hate-spurned Twitter war.

 

 

Swami Agnivesh gained the affection of many labourers, rights activists through his work against bonded labour. Even while battling liver ailments at Delhi’s Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) he was concerned about the 48,000 houses of Delhi’s slum dwellers that were to be demolished following Supreme Court orders. 

His contributions were particularly important for the child rights movement in India. He founded the Bandhua Mukti Morcha (Bonded Labour Liberation Front) which freed as many as 1,78,000 bonded labourers including 26,000 children as per its website.

His death came as a severe blow to many including activist, journalist and close friend Teesta Setalvad.

 

However, his work also garnered many enemies from the far-right wing who wished to uphold age-old oppressive activities.

 

 

A brief glance at both LambodarPrasadDash’s and Pipsip45’s twitter accounts is enough to show their anti-Islamic and pro-Hindutva sentiments. Similarly, other voices of the Right also came to the surface.

 

 

Those who continue to denounce Swamiji and his work indicate that his battle against social evils is still very much a reality.

Related:

Champion of human rights, secularism, Swami Agnivesh, passes away at 81
Protests against attack on Swami Agnivesh emerge in many parts of the country
BJP-RSS goons storm Swami Agnivesh’s event on Gandhi Jayanti, say he’s not Hindu
Leaders Extend Support to Swami Agnivesh Post Attack, Demand Judicial Inquiry

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]]> Terrorised by trolls, comedians apologise for hurting religious sentiments https://sabrangindia.in/terrorised-trolls-comedians-apologise-hurting-religious-sentiments/ Fri, 17 Jul 2020 14:33:21 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2020/07/17/terrorised-trolls-comedians-apologise-hurting-religious-sentiments/ Many comedians reported that their numbers and addresses had been leaked and that they were getting threats to life and that of their families too

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Image Courtesy:indiatimes.com

It all started with the vilification of comedian Agrima Joshua. The rape threats and verbal abuse aimed at her for joking about the misinformation surrounding the statue of Shivaji Maharaj, that she encountered on a QnA platform by one Shubham Mishra, opened the floodgates for hatred for right-wing trolls who followed in his footsteps and unleashed an organised attack against her on social media, forcing her to apologize for her video and take it down from all platforms.

The pattern of hate spread by right-wing trolls has now become very predictable and racial slurs, communal slurs, rape threats and threats to life are all part of the mix. A look at the trolls, their armies and affiliations will show that they have appointed themselves to be gatekeepers of nationalism.

Abuses and apologies

Recently, the government of India banned 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok which was a means of income to thousands in India. The move was lauded by many as a fitting answer to the Chinese government, currently with whom there is an ongoing conflict at the LAC. However, when stand-up comic Kenny Sebastian questioned the apathy coming in from some because the ban didn’t affect them directly, he was trolled and subject to communal slurs where he was called a ‘rice bag convert’ – a derogatory term used by some right-wing Hindutva followers to shame Christians saying that they don’t follow the religion due to their religious belief but have converted for the proposed benefits that come with following a religion.

 

After Joshua was villified, more comedians came forward to issue apologies after being targeted by trolls, reported Scroll.in.

On July 14, comedian Sahil Shah saying that years ago when he had centred a joke on Shivaji Maharaj, he didn’t know it would offend people and hurt their religious sentiments. Sahil was called a ‘jihadi’ by a Twitter handle called ‘The Hindu Voice’ and followers of this handle had tagged everyone from the CM of Maharashtra to the cyber cell and MNS officials to take action against him.

 

Tweeting, Shah apologised profusely for the same and said that he would make responsible comedy in the future.

 

Soon, comic Aadar Malik too released a video apologising for an 8-year-old video which had been dug up to target him. People questioned him for making jokes on Hindu gods but not on other faiths questioning whether the Indian minority would tolerate the same.

 

 

In his video, Malik said that there was a lot of hate he was receiving on social media, including threats to his family and that it had become a very scary atmosphere to live in.

 

Rohan Joshi, one of the co-founders of the former comedy group AIB too put out an apology on Instagram after he too was targeted.

 

Saying that he was going offline for a few days and that his number and address had been leaked. He mentioned that the last few days had been a circus of abuse, threats, 2 A.M calls and anxious spirals. Apologising for offending anyone’s sentiments, he pleaded for his family to be left alone.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Rohan Joshi (@mojorojo) on

In the same vein, comedian Azeem Banatwalla for his tweets made many years ago and said that while he was not looking to make an excuse, people had been pouring the vilest of Islamophic slurs at him.

 

Comedian Sapan Verma too apologised for a wrong, immature and distasteful tweet.

 

Throughout these attacks, one thing was common – comedians were accused of being anti-Hindu. However, in bid to bust that narrative, comedian Abijit Ganguly took to Twitter to point out that branding all comedians as anti-Hindu was wrong because no content of two comedians was alike.

 

Comedian Saurav Ghosh was recently brutally beaten up with a helmet for making a joke on confusion arising about which airport people had to report to due to both airports being named after Shivaji Maharaj.

 

The comedians also faced open threat to their safety with some comparing them to hate offender Kamlesh Tiwari who had made controversial remarks against Prophet Muhammed in 2015. He was allegedly shot at in his home in 2019. Now right-wing trolls are comparing comedians to him and demanding that Hindus show their intolerance towards them.

 

Comedians like Vir Das also put out sarcastic videos targeting the outrage towards stand-up comics, pointing out how there were a selective number of people focusing on digging up instances of offensive comedy instead of questioning the more pressing topics.

 

In response to trolls and abusive misogynists, a group of female comedians too put out a sarcastic video titled ‘Women Finally Apologist For Everything’, to show the continuous vilification they suffered at the hands of those sitting behind keyboards and issuing open rape threats with impunity.

 

A political pattern to the organised abuse?

Speaking with Scroll.in, Ravina Rawal, editor of DeadAnt, an online publication that tracks the Indian comedy scene said, “Comics have a young, captive audience running into the tens of millions, they have the power to influence new voters and set a narrative. To add to that is the impression that all comics are liberals or lefties.”

A pattern observed in all the trolling is that it comes from many who claim to be nationalists and followers of Sanatan Dharm or are affiliated to the right-wing. All of these trolls have dug up old videos of comedians and tagged the MVA Maharashtra government to take action against them, even though the videos were made during the time of the previous government. One can question if this too is in a bid to pressure  the current state government to prove their affiliation towards the majority community and move away from the liberal image it is trying to create by connecting with the youth in its causes.

This could be the reason why the Maharashtra government, even while issuing an inquiry against those who threatened Joshua, also said that they would review her video too. Instead, the government should look at the above evidence and stop this targeted hate campaign, stop people from taking law into their own hands and curb the anarchy that is ready to brim over.

Nobody could’ve fathomed that comedy and laughter would become resistance movements in India. With comedians being increasingly targeted, especially for their jokes revolving around politics, it is now to be seen if comedy as a form of resistance will take a more defined shape or be hacked out by right-wing guards of nationalism.

Related:

Why social media sites must exercise social responsibility and nip hate speech in the bud

 

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]]> Media, right-wing spew venom over Sushant Singh Rajput’s death https://sabrangindia.in/media-right-wing-spew-venom-over-sushant-singh-rajputs-death/ Mon, 15 Jun 2020 10:04:23 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2020/06/15/media-right-wing-spew-venom-over-sushant-singh-rajputs-death/ The Maharashtra Cyber police also warned social media users of circulating ‘disturbing’ photos of the deceased actors

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Image Courtesy:thewrap.com

On June 14, 2020, Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput died by suicide. He was 34 and hailed from Patna. He started his career on television, slowly progressing to movies like MS Dhoni: An Untold Story, Kai Po Che and Chhichhore. An entrepreneur and philanthropist, he had many awards to his name and was widely appreciated as a ‘thinker’ whose passions extended to life beyond the arclights.

Rajput’s death sent shockwaves among the country and triggered a debate around depression, a malaise that has been exacerbated during the lockdown. However, unfortunately, Rajput’s death also showcased not only media insensitivity, but also the depths to which right-wing trolls could sink. 

Insensitive media

Soon after Rajput’s death, news channels camped outside his apartment in Bandra, Mumbai and also to his parents’ home in Patna. A lot of media houses, Aaj Tak in particular, were pulled up for their insensitive behaviour and lack of empathy. The media took it upon itself to solve the mystery behind his death – throwing out all theories, from a financial crisis to depression to finding links to the suicide of his ex-manager who jumped to her death last week. In light of the incident, Live Law reported that a practising advocate of the Delhi High Court has served a legal notice of defamation to India Today’s Chairman and Editor-in-Chief for the demeaning coverage of the actor’s tragic death. 

At his family home in Patna, a reporter from Aaj Tak kept prodding his bereaved father for a response regarding his son’s death. The channel also shamed the actor for his suicide by describing it as ‘Hit Wicket’ and broadcasting the details of the death, in an obvious bid to garner TRPs.

Other news channels that acted like a part of a pack of vultures hungry for eyeballs were India TV and Zee News.

Zee News, a serial hate offender, used a ticker with the words, “Patna Fail” to describe Rajput. India TV joined the brigade with unsympathetic words that are too malevolent to be put to print.

 

Sushant Singh

The actions of these news channels received a lot of flak from Twitter users who led #ShameonAajTak to trend widely. However, none of the erring channels have sent out an apology for their insensitive reportage.

 

 

Another channel, News Nation, went a step ahead to show an image, though blurred, of Rajput’s lifeless body.

 

The lack of sympathy and disregard for the deceased actor’s family and friends prompted many to say, ‘let him go in peace’. The World Health Organization’s guidelines on responsible reporting on suicide suggest that people be educated about avenues where they can seek help to talk about their issues and that particular caution be applied when reporting about celebrity suicides and interviewing grieving friends and family members. The guidelines also suggest that details about the site and location shouldn’t be provided, the act shouldnt be ‘normalized’ and sensational headlines shouldn’t be provided.

However, with the post mortem report still awaited, the reports by most of the Indian news channels are only maligning the actor’s integrity. Apart from this, the India news media is completely ignorant of the guidelines for responsibly reporting an act of suicide set by the WHO, and if not, they only continue with their despicable reporting in a bid to climb the TRP ladder. 

Right-wing hate speech

If the media reporting was not enough, the right-wing extremists ensured that Rajput was robbed of his dignity even during his death. Rajput, who had dropped his surname on Twitter in a sign of protest against the attack on Padmavat director Sanjay Leela Bhansali by members of the Karni Sena in 2017, was heartlessly trolled by right wingers after his death.

Hate offenders like Updesh Rana used unmentionable words against Rajput saying that he was relieved to hear the news and it was better for people like him to be dead.

 

Sushant

Sushant Singh Rajput

The hatred spewed by the right wing only shows their intolerance towards anyone expressing their views, an act depicting their unwillingness to extend empathy, an act that is highly condemnable.

Social media violations and police intervention

Post Rajput’s death, pictures of his deceased body were leaked and went viral on social media. Everybody from news channels to civilians, without using their better sense, distributed these pictures and some went a step further to create private social media accounts which held these pictures and were willing to sell this for gains.

Sushant Singh Rajput

These acts were so abominable that the Maharashtra Cyber Police had to intervene and issue warnings saying that the circulation of such pictures was against legal guidelines and court directions and were liable to invite legal action against the people circulating them. The police also urged people who already received these pictures, to delete them and not forward them to others.

Sushant Singh Rajput’s death is untimely and unfortunate. It is sad to see that at a time when there should be support for the family and more openness and acceptance to talk about mental health issues, the lead for which should be taken by the media to disseminate help to a larger audience, there is instead callousness, sensationalism and vilification of a distressing event only to be reduced to a mere eyeball grabbing incident.

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