Tag: Hindutva

  • Hindutva activists attack, terrorize Muslims during Ramazan

    A mob of Hindutva activists has been attacking and terrorizing the Muslim community in different parts of India during the holy month of Ramazan.

    Disturbing videos have been shared on the Microblogging site, Twitter in which extremist Hindus are making hate speeches against the Muslim community in Hyderabad, Gujarat, Karnataka, Goa, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, and Bengal.

    On the occasion of the Hindu festival, Ram Navami in Hyderabad, a rally was taken out in which the Hindu extremists were singing a hatred song against Muslims, which says, ” Saare Bharat ko Hindu Rashtra banana hai ( We need to turn India into a Hindu country)” which goes on, “Jo Ram ka naam na le usko Bharat se bhagana hai (Whoever do not take RAM name, they have to go from India”. The song was targetting minorities, especially the Muslim community living in India.

    In Himmat Nagar, Gujarat, the miscreants involved in the Ram Navami procession targeted mosques, dargahs, and shops.

    In Goa, a Hindu mob tried to enter a mosque who were intended to attack Muslims. The Hindu mob accused Muslims that someone from the mosque threw stones at the Ram Navmi procession.

    Communal violence also erupted in Bengal, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka, during the Hindu festival of Ram Navmi procession and the police have banned large gatherings in some areas.

    Riots during Ram Navami procession in Khargone, MP. The Ram Navami procession entered the Muslim locality Kazipura and raised slogans, stone-pelting.

    A bangle shop of a Muslim family was set on fire by the Hindutva activists during the celebration of Ram Navami.

  • After Karnataka, Hijab conflict begins in India’s Uttar Pradesh

    After Karnataka, Hijab conflict begins in India’s Uttar Pradesh

    The dispute concerning the banning of the hijab has reached India’s large and populous state, Uttar Pradesh. A group of young men distributed a memorandum to college officials on Monday.

    They insisted that the administration of Dharma Samaj College implement a complete ban on the hijab in its premises. The college is located in the Aligarh district.

    The College Chief Proctor, Mukesh Bharadwaj, while talking to Reuters said, “Two years ago the same issue was raised and it has been raised again. We do not allow any type of religious uniform and we have a civil code of uniform for everyone.”

    He further added, “There is a changing room for girls and they can change their dress there before attending class.”

    He said, “We are investigating the matter.”

    The tension arose when the Indian state, Karnataka, banned religious clothes in government schools and colleges in February amid a controversy over the hijab and saffron scarves.

    Various incidents have been reported in the state when hijab-clad students were denied entry to college campuses over a fear of clashes with people belonging to the Hindutva ideology.

    Recently, the Muskan Khan incident has grabbed attention from all over the world. Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai spoke out regarding the incident as well as various Pakistan government ministers.

    Scholar and Professor Noam Chomsky also condemned the growing hatred against Islam and compared the brutal situation of IoK to Israeli forces occupying Palestine and blamed Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s right-wing Hindu nationalist regime for it.

  • Hindutva leader arrested for provoking ‘genocide’ of Muslims

    Hindutva leader arrested for provoking ‘genocide’ of Muslims

    Hindutva leader, Yati Narsinghanand Giri who incited hatred and called for ‘genocide’ of Muslims in a seminar, labelled by Indian media as “hate speech conclave”, was arrested by the police.

    Senior Police Officer, Swatantra Kumar said that the Yati Narsinghanand Giri, a far right-right nationalist was initially arrested on Saturday on allegations of making derogatory remarks against Muslims and women during a meeting. He appeared in front of the court the next day and remained in custody for hate speech.

    Kumar claimed that Yati Narsinghanand Giri is a repeated offender and was officially charged on Monday with promoting hatred between Hindus and Muslims based on religion. The charge can carry a five-year jail term.

    In December, the three-day meeting “hate speech conclave” was organised by Hindutva leader Yati Narsinghanand in Uttarakhand’s pilgrimage city of Haridwar, India, where multiple calls to kill minorities and attack their religious spaces were made.

    The gathering had speakers like Annapurna Maa, Dharamdas Maharaj from Bihar, Anand Swaroop Maharaj, Sagar Sindhuraj Maharaj, Swami Premanand Maharaj, and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashwini Upadhyay.

    “If you want to finish them off, then kill them… We need 100 soldiers who can kill 20 lakh of them to win this,” said Annapurna Maa.

    “If the governments do not listen to our demand [the establishment of a Hindu Rashtra through violence against minorities], we will wage a war far scarier than the 1857 revolt,” said Anand Swaroop Maharaj.

    Recently, hate crimes against religious minorities including Muslims and Christians are increased in India with the alleged support of the ruling party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Several Indian celebrities raised their voices against hate crimes against certain communities based on the grounds of religion.

  • ‘Kill them’: Three-day hate speech conclave held in India as Hindutva leaders call for killing Muslims

    ‘Kill them’: Three-day hate speech conclave held in India as Hindutva leaders call for killing Muslims

    A three-day “hate speech conclave” was organised by Hindutva leader Yati Narsinghanand in Uttarakhand’s pilgrimage city of Haridwar, India, where multiple calls to kill minorities and attack their religious spaces were made, reports The Quint.

    The gathering had speakers like Annapurna Maa, Dharamdas Maharaj from Bihar, Anand Swaroop Maharaj, Sagar Sindhuraj Maharaj, Swami Premanand Maharaj, and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashwini Upadhyay.

    “If you want to finish them off, then kill them… We need 100 soldiers who can kill 20 lakh of them to win this,” said Annapurna Maa.

    Dharamdas Maharaj from Bihar said: “If I was present in the parliament when Prime Minister (PM) Manmohan Singh said that minorities have first right over national resources, I would’ve followed Nathuram Godse, I’d have shot him six times in the chest with a revolver.”

    “If the governments do not listen to our demand [the establishment of a Hindu Rashtra through violence against minorities], we will wage a war far scarier than the 1857 revolt,” said Anand Swaroop Maharaj.

    According to the report, religious leader Swami Anandswaroop gave an example of how Muslim street vendors should be treated. “The street in which I live, every morning I used to spot a mullah with a big beard and nowadays they keep a saffron beard. This is Haridwar, Maharaj. There is no Muslim buyer here, so throw him out,” he said.

    Videos of the event have been circulating on social media and people are reacting to the threats being directed towards the minorities in India.

  • Indian retailer Fabindia withdraws Diwali ad after backlash from Hindu groups

    Indian retailer Fabindia withdraws Diwali ad after backlash from Hindu groups

    Indian retailer Fabindia, which sells home furnishings, furniture, clothes and food, has withdrawn an ad about a new Diwali line after backlash from right-wing Hindu groups, reported BBC.

    Social media users accused the ad of using Urdu — a language spoken by many Muslims in India — to celebrate a collection for the Hindu festival of Diwali.

    #BoycottFabIndia trended on Twitter in India on Monday after Fabindia called Diwali “Jashn-e-Riwaaz” (celebration of tradition) in a tweet. Following the tweet, many social media users called for a boycott of the company, claiming that the Urdu phrase had been used to hurt sentiments of the Hindu community.

    A spokesperson from Fabindia told the Times of India newspaper that Jashn-e-Riwaaz was not its Diwali collection.

    The tweet, which went viral on Monday, said: “As we welcome the festival of love and light, Jashn-e-Riwaaz by Fabindia is a collection that beautifully pays homage to Indian culture.” The tweet has since been deleted and the ad has also been withdrawn.

    Fabindia’s deleted tweet

    This is not the first time an Indian brand had to withdraw ads following backlash from right-wing Hindu groups. Last year in October, popular Indian jewellery brand Tanishq had to withdraw an advertisement featuring an interfaith couple after a right-wing backlash on social media.

    A recent advert by clothing brand Manyaavar featuring Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt in a wedding attire also caused a social media furore. The ad, which appeared to question an old tradition (Kanya Daan), received widespread backlash as it was seen as an attack on Hindu wedding rituals.