Thousands of Islamists in Karnataka’s Bagalkote chanted ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans, a clarion call for beheading, as Muslim clerics ginned up their sentiments with hate speeches, social media users said while sharing the videos.
The videos, purportedly from Bagalkote, show a raft of rabid Islamic crowd chanting ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ and ‘Allahu Akbar’ slogans, highlighting the jarring normalisation of death threats allegedly issued in the name of protecting the ‘honour’ of Prophet Muhammad.
In Bagalkot, Karnataka, a radical Islamic mob audaciously chanted 'Sar tan se juda' right in front of the police, who did nothing to intervene.
— Tulla Veerender Goud (@TVG_BJP) August 31, 2024
It seems every time Congress is in power, such groups are emboldened, jeopardizing public safety while the authorities turn a blind… pic.twitter.com/sVYh2ODhdk
While the slogan has been in the vogue for centuries, it has often been used to mobilise Islamists against their perennial foes, i.e. non-Muslims, under the pretext of blasphemy against the Islamic Prophet.
In India though, the alarming trend of ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ protests gained renewed momentum after Alt News Mohammed Zubair shared an incomplete video of Nupur Sharma, a former BJP spokesperson, after she made observations derived from authentic and reliable Islamic texts to oppose scorn poured over Hinduism and Hindu Gods by a fellow Muslim panelists. Zubair’s dog-whistling triggered large-scale protests across the country, with gullible Islamists sparing no time in going on a rampage and calling for Sharma’s beheading with ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans.
Nevertheless, as Islamists in Bagalkote raised ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans, Muslim clerics who attended the demonstrations, indulged in hate speech against perceived blasphemers, in this case, Ramgiri Maharaj, who has been accused by the fringe elements in the Islamic fold of committing blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad.
The protests against Ramgiri Maharaj, which have been underway in different parts of the country, saw participation from not just indoctrinated youth but also impressionable young children, who have been fed the poison of Islamic supremacism and their ‘religious duty’ to avenge the disrespect of their Prophet. The NCPCR took cognisance of the participation of children in ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ protests and called for authorities to take action to deradicalise young minds and provide them with counselling.
Earlier this month, 300 Islamists were booked for raising ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans in front of the Pune Collector’s office. The Islamist mob carried out the protest march on Friday, without taking necessary permission from the administration. According to Pune City Police officials, a case was lodged at Bund Garden Police Station on Saturday. The accused have been booked under sections 189(2), 190, 196, and 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as well as sections 135 and 37(1) of the Maharashtra Police Act.
