In our country, there are certain “educated” people who regard themselves as committed liberals. However, they have effectively taken on a predetermined agenda. Their focus is restricted to two primary aims: First, unwaveringly supporting Islamic fundamentalism and archaic social evils and second, criticising Hindu festivals and traditions. All their notable academic credentials and intellectual abilities are utilised solely for this singular cause. An article authored by Professor Apoorvanand of Delhi University has again exposed their real face to the public.

Just ahead of the Eid al-Adha (Bakrid) festival, he authored an article for The Wire, an utterly biased narrative peddling alleged agony far from any neutrality. Its every aspect displayed a clear animosity towards the nation’s systemic framework and the Hindu community. The entire agenda is built around one primary strategy: to represent Muslims as perpetually innocent victims, while depicting Hindus and the country’s democratically elected government as the “villain” or perpetrator.

This perspective is frequently referred to as the “Urban Naxal” mindset, a phenomenon that needs to be brought to light. Therefore, we are conducting a thorough and detailed examination of Professor Apoorvanand’s column. We will refrain from mere assumptions and are going to rather rely on verifiable facts and evidence to illustrate the truth and separate it from the false narratives currently being circulated.

Why are liberals so irked by the rule of law

Apoorvanand’s argument: Bakrid is approaching. How do we know that? It is not the word of the local maulvi, but the statements of Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, ministers and chief ministers of the BJP-led governments – all filled with warnings and threats directed at Muslims – that indicate another Muslim festival is close. In West Bengal, minister Dilip Ghosh issued a warning in Hindi that everything must happen “according to the law” and that nobody would be allowed to violate it. But in what context – and to whom – was he saying this?

Response: Upon reviewing this propaganda by Apoorvanand, it becomes clear that what actually bothers him is the insistence of India’s administrative machinery for the Muslim community to comply with the law. After decades of the corrupt politics of Muslim appeasement, these “Urban Naxals” are unable to accept the fact that the “Rule of Law” (one law applicable to all) is now being enforced nationwide.

They want the minorities to continue to enjoy special privileges and have the unchecked freedom to act as they wish in public spaces. When governments encourage citizens to celebrate festivals within legal parameters, these individuals interpret such guidance as “warnings” and “threats.”

Why advocate for holding roads hostage

Apoorvanand’s argument: Everyone knows these warnings were aimed at Muslims ahead of Bakrid. Even earlier, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had threatened that nobody would be allowed to offer namaz on the streets. Orders were issued against the cow sacrifice. Mosques would not be allowed to make the azan call for prayers. And just before Bakrid, it was announced that the customary two-day holiday would now be reduced to a single day.

The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh warned Muslims that they would not be permitted to offer prayers on the roads. If they failed to get the message, he said, they would be “made to understand” through other means. We all know what those “other means” signify.

Response: The persistence in collectively performing Namaz by blocking public roads could only be supported by an anarchist. The governments of Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have explicitly stated that roads are designated for the general populace, ambulances and traffic, not for disturbing public order by hindering movement for the purpose of religious observances.

Does Apoorvanand genuinely think that obstructing other people’s path is a religious entitlement? CM Yogi’s reference to “administrative action” against breaches of the law should not be used to disseminate the bogus narrative of “covert threat” or “alternative measures.” The imposition of the law is aimed at offenders and troublemakers, not at law-abiding citizens.

Why did the advice to respect “Sanatan sentiments” cause such anger

Apoorvanand’s argument: The Chief Minister of Assam advised Muslims to conduct sacrifices “properly.” He praised Muslim voices that appealed against cow sacrifice. Himanta Biswa Sarma went so far as to say that Bakrid should eventually become entirely free of sacrifice. Muslims, he declared, were respecting “Sanatan sentiments,” and this, he said, would preserve peace in society.

Response: In a nation as diverse as India, when a Chief Minister calls for respect towards the “Sanatan sentiments” of the majority community, as well as for the veneration of cattle, in the interest of maintaining social harmony, why does this incite such discomfort and unrest among the Leftists? The Chief Minister of Assam expressed these views to promote peace and brotherhood within society.

Nevertheless, persons like Apoorvanand apparently do not seek a peaceful society and appear to favour conflict. They want these issues to persist, thus exacerbating polarisation so that their business of being “intellectuals” can continue to flourish.

Brazen defence of cattle smuggling and unlawful activities

Apoorvanand’s argument: Videos are circulating in which we see vehicles being stopped and attacked on suspicion that cows are being transported illegally for sacrifice. But the matter no longer ends with cows. Goats, too, are being seized. In Delhi, just before Bakrid, public activity in Nehru Hill Park was prohibited because of apprehensions that goats might be bought and sold there. Gau Rakshak bands are being formed on the eve of Bakrid to monitor the transportation of the sacred animal.

Response: There is a legal restriction on cow slaughter and smuggling in this country. Apoorvanand is skillfully referring to illegal cow smuggling as “transportation for sacrifice.” The fact remains that preventing the unauthorised transfer of animals is legally justified. This leftist professor acts as if he is entirely unaware of how Islamic mobs engage in violent attacks on police and civilians trying to halt such cow smuggling.

When the government increases security in public places like Nehru Hill Park to stop this trade alongside littering, depicting it as a “ban” targeting a specific religion shows their frustration.

Irritated by the truth about Mecca and PETA’s campaign

Apoorvanand’s argument: One television channel even travelled to Mecca to investigate whether cows and camels were being sacrificed there. These channels never went to Gaza while children were being slaughtered, nor to Sudan, where massacres continue unabated. But on the eve of Bakrid, they found it worthwhile to undertake the noble journalistic exercise of travelling to Mecca to collect this “important” information and disseminate it to the Indian audience – only to show that the “real” Muslims of Arabia are more reasonable than the “converted” ones of India.

The animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, launched a campaign in which a goat pleads with people not to sacrifice it. Children pause lovingly to caress the animal. Could anyone be so heartless, the campaign asks, as to slaughter such a helpless creature? Significantly, this campaign has been launched precisely before Bakrid.

Can PETA run a similar campaign at the Kamakhya temple? Could it carry out such a campaign in my own ancestral town of Deoghar, where multiple animal sacrifices take place during sacred-thread ceremonies, weddings and other rituals? It never has. It never will. There is less compassion for goats in PETA’s campaign than there is hostility toward Muslims.

Response: When a media channel shows that, even in core Islamic regions (such as Saudi Arabia or Mecca), affairs are managed strictly in accordance with local laws and order, the deceptions spread by Indian liberals are busted. Consequently, they resort to denigrating the media.

As for PETA, why do individuals like Apoorvanand keep their eyes closed when the group issues sanctimonious advisories, filled with unsolicited wisdom, urging people to save water during Holi or not burst firecrackers during Diwali? At those times, those posts never seem anti-Hindu to them. Furthermore, why did these people choose to remain silent over the murder of Tarun Kumar, which took place amid Holi? The young man was killed by Muslims, and Apoorvanand had published an article at the time to paint the Islamists as victims.

In his effort to rationalise the killing of goats during Bakrid, he intended to defame revered sites like Kamakhya and Deoghar. He conveniently overlooked that even in cases where these age-old customs continue to exist within Hindu culture, blood is not spilt publicly on the streets, nor are animals sacrificed in the thoroughfares. Moreover, it is often the members of Hindu society who lead the charge in courts and through reform movements in the battle against animal cruelty.

A vile attempt to sling mud at Hindu festivals

Apoorvanand’s argument: What is most distressing is that even decent Hindus often fail to see or feel this hatred directed at Muslims. Many Hindus innocently ask why prayers should be offered on roads at all. They regard restrictions on namaz as reasonable measures meant to ensure smooth traffic flow. But they never ask why roads outside Hanuman temples remain blocked for hours every Tuesday. During almost every Hindu festival, roads are occupied by idols and processions.

Whether it is Ganesh Chaturthi, Rath Yatra, Ram Navami, Durga Puja, Saraswati Puja, Mahaviri Akhara processions, Hanuman Jayanti, or countless others, roads are seized not merely for a day but often for many days at a stretch. And then there is the month-long Kanwar Yatra, during which entire highways are officially surrendered to the Kanwariyas.

Response: Apoorvanand raised questions on nearly all significant Hindu celebrations, including Ganesh Chaturthi, Rath Yatra, Ram Navami, Durga Puja and Kanwar Yatra, only to justify arbitrary conduct witnessed during Eid al-Adha and in public venues. Nevertheless, this leftist academic shrewdly neglected to mention that the crowds on the streets during Hindu festivals gather only once a year for a limited time, and strictly follow routes and permissions set by the authorities. Hindu society honours the established administrative framework. From the volume of DJ music to the designated paths of processions, everything is regulated by the police.

In sharp contrast, there seems to be no end to the Friday prayers (Namaz) that are held weekly by blocking public roads. In any part of the nation, on any major roadway, thousands of Muslims might suddenly congregate, bringing traffic to a complete halt. Suddenly, bricks and stones are thrown from the vicinity of mosques, targeting both police officers and everyday citizens. This very situation was vividly observed in Bareilly and other districts of Uttar Pradesh. Only those who live in these areas can adequately convey to this leftist commentator just how massive a nuisance it becomes for ordinary citizens to navigate through Muslim-majority neighbourhoods on a Friday.

The claim of “Muslim restrain” vs. real incidents of “stone-pelting” outside mosques

Apoorvanand’s argument: Muslims do not create public hysteria during their festivals. Christians do not either. They never march before temples performing sacrifices. Even during Muharram, Muslims do not stand before temples to perform mourning. Hindus alone demand the right to play loud music before mosques, to enter mosque premises and to desecrate Muslim religious symbols.

They raise slogans against Muslims and play songs abusing Muslims in their religious processions. It is as though, without doing this, their religious pleasure now feels incomplete.

Response: Only an Ostrich-like approach of an “Urban Naxal” could turn a blind eye to ground realities and claim that “restraint” is apparent during Muslim festivals. Is Apoorvanand oblivious to the fact that Hindu processions, such as those during Ram Navami or Durga Puja Visarjan, are subjected to attacks from mosques and rooftops of Muslim houses with stones, petrol bombs and swords in multiple states across the nation? Does he believe that the blame rests solely on Hindus, even for the violent instances that transpire during Hanuman Jayanti processions?

Does the general public not experience any discomfort or fear concerning the unsheathed swords and weapons displayed during Muharram processions? Apoorvanand, who refers to Hindus as “mentally ill,” remains entirely silent about the blatant violence and arson that occur during Tazia processions, as these events do not provide an opportunity for him to advance his agenda of playing the “victim card.”

A long history of ideological hatred and conspiracy to provoke riots

The minds of these self-styled “intellectuals,” these frauds, have become utterly vacuous. If you want to observe their duplicity, merely remember the Sabarimala temple controversy. During that time, these same Leftists eagerly jumped into the fray, wielding judicial rulings. They exerted every effort to depict Hindu customs as “backward” and “anti-female.” However, when Bakrid comes around, they shut their mouths. As roads are obstructed and animals are publicly sacrificed in the streets, they suddenly start to articulate their views on “religious freedom.” In such instances, they conveniently disregard all their “insight” and retreat into silence.

Today, on Bakrid, consider the historical actions of Professor Apoorvanand, the very individual who readily hits out at Hindus regarding their festivals. This is not the first instance of his hateful rhetoric. His name has even appeared in the charge sheets related to the anti-Hindu riots that occurred in Delhi. He has faced serious accusations of plotting to incite riots and provoking the mob.

Hence, for this professor to contribute to a disreputable platform like The Wire and write such an article is hardly a gesture of social reform. It is, quite frankly, a blatant move of defiance against the laws of India. It represents a malicious and calculated conspiracy to tarnish the reputation of the country’s majority community in the eyes of the global audience.

Read the original article in Hindi here.