On Sunday night, violence erupted between two groups belonging to different communities over the removal of a Saffron flag in the Achalpur town of Amravati district in Maharashtra. To maintain law and order, the administration had to impose Section 144 in the area.
The Police had to use tear gas shells to control the situation as violence escalated. Meanwhile, BJP leaders including state spokesperson Shivrai Kulkarni and district BJP head Nivedita Chaudhari have now been barred from entering the city by the Police.
Communal violence struck Amravati’s Achalpur after two groups clashed with each other over raising a saffron flag at the city’s Dulha gate. The tension increased after one group raised a saffron flag atop the gateway, which serves as a historical monument built with Islamic-style architecture in the city, and the other group objected. The fight suddenly snowballed into stone-pelting. The Police entering the scene to control the situation were also attacked with stones and a police constable was injured during the skirmish. Several vehicles were also damaged during the violence.
As reported by Times Now, the violence broke out after Hindu groups hoisted a saffron flag atop the Dulha Gate, which serves as the main entrance to the town, to mark Hanuman Jayanti on Sunday.
After stone-pelting started around 9 PM on the night of April 17, the police arrested 16 people involved in the violence. Section 144 has been imposed in the town while the police department is monitoring the situation with the help of drone cameras. ADSP Amravati, Shahsikant Satav appealed to the public to maintain calm and not believe in rumors. According to Police, the residents put up flags of various religions atop the Khidki Gate and the Dulha Gate every year to mark festivities.
As a reaction to control the situation the city police have now barred BJP leaders from entering the city. The news of stone-pelting in Achalpur is not a standalone case, with numerous incidents of stone-pelting being reported from Delhi to Hubli in Karnataka to Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh on Hanuman Jayanti.
Yunus Imam alias Sonu Chikna, whose video went viral earlier on Monday for firing bullets on the Hanuman Jayanti procession has been arrested by Delhi Police. Special commissioner of Delhi Police Dependra Pathak has confirmed the arrest of Yunus.
Just in: Delhi Police arrests Yunus Sonu caught on cam firing at cops. He was wearing blue kurta.
Earlier, a video of Yunus Imam alias Sonu Chikna had gone viral where he can be seen shooting his gun in the middle of the stone-pelting. The Mother of Sonu Chikna had admitted her son had fired gunshots during the Jahangirpuri violence. In a report by Aaj Tak, the mother of the firing accused said her sons had picked up the gun to ‘support his community’ during the violence.
She said, “My son has a chicken shop. He was about to open Roza when tension between Hindus and Muslims erupted, and he went out. He does not own a gun. He snatched the gun from someone and fired shots as he was angry. No one was injured. They were threatening us. My son just wanted to scare them off. Someone with a personal grudge shot the video and made it viral.”
This is the latest arrest following the stone-pelting and subsequent violence against the Hanuman Jayanti procession in the Jahangirpuri area of Delhi where Islamists attacked the procession with stones and swords and guns. The violence left several people injured, including some Delhi police personnel who were trying to guard the procession.
Initially, police had arrested 14 people for the violence, including Aslam who shot a Delhi Police Constable, and Ansar, the alleged leader of the area. Subsequently, police have also arrested the family that organized the Hanuman Jayanti Shobha yatra.
After Delhi witnessed the gruesome stone-pelting attack on Hanuman Jayanti Procession in Jahangirpuri, The Delhi Police organised a meeting of local Aman (peace) committees to discuss the way forward to control the situation. As per a report in The Indian Express, the meeting was abruptly stopped by NorthWest Delhi DCP when a BJP councillor started highlighting the role of Bangladeshi Muslims in the violence.
Delhi | To maintain peace & tranquility in the area, a meeting was organised by DCP North West at Kushal Chowk in PS Jahangirpuri area with the members of Aman committee of PS Jahangirpuri, PS Mahendra Park and PS Adarsh Nagar: DCP North-West Usha Rangnani pic.twitter.com/51gjaxauYC
On Sunday morning, the Delhi Police organised an Aman committee meeting at Kushal Chowk in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri to discuss ways to maintain peace & tranquillity in the area. The atmosphere of terror engulfed the region after a rioting situation broke out and stones were thrown at Hanuman Jayanti Shobha Yatra on Saturday. Senior Police officers from the Northwest district including members of the Aman committee of Police stations at Jahangirpuri, Mahendra Park and Adarsh Nagar alongside DCP Usha Rangnani addressed the meeting.
While urging the citizens to maintain peace the DCP said, “Both groups should have restrained themselves. There should be law and order, and communal harmony. Police will investigate with fairness and neutrality. If a situation arises, some mischievous elements take advantage of it.” Another senior Police officer assured, “Mischievous and anti-social elements should be contained. If you spot them, please take action and call us. There will be strict action against rioters.”
But when local BJP councillor from Adarsh Nagar Garima Gupta raised the issue of Bangladeshi Muslims creating challenges before the law and order situation, DCP Rangnani interrupted her, as per The Indian Express report. The BJP leader said, “I want to say this in open public. Hindus and Muslims have lived together in peace. The problem in our area, if I come straight to the point, is the Bangladeshi Muslims who have started living here.” Garima Gupta was asked to stop by the DCP Usha Rangnani while she suddenly wrapped up the meeting and asked the members to leave. “You are digressing from the issue,” she said. “Aap sab log apne ilake mein jaiye (please leave for your areas). Let us all maintain peace,” DCP Rangnani said and left.
The angle of Bangladeshi Muslims living as settlers in Jahangirpuri was also brought out in the recent bail denial sentence to Umar Khalid where he admitted mobilizing Muslim women and children from the area to join the anti-CAA blockade at Shaheen Bagh in 2020. Local shopkeepers in Jahangirpuri have also blamed illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Rohingyas for the increase in crimes in the area.
On Monday, April 18, two days after a Hanuman Jayanti procession came under attack from Islamists in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri area, DCP NW Usha Rangnani said a 36-year-old scrap dealer, Sheikh Hameed, has been arrested in the case. She also stated that Hameed has admitted to providing bottles used by pelters to attack the procession.
“During the probe of the Jahangirpuri violence case, one more accused namely a 36-yr-old Sheikh Hameed has been arrested. He is a scrap dealer. During interrogation, he disclosed that he had supplied bottles that were used for pelting during the incident,” DCP NW Usha Rangnani was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
During the probe of the Jahangirpuri violence case, one more accused namely a 36-yr-old Sheikh Hameed has been arrested. He is a scrap dealer. During interrogation, he disclosed that he had supplied bottles that were used for pelting during the incident: DCP NW Usha Rangnani
The revelation is significant, given that a section of Indian left-leaning liberals have been pushing a twisted narrative that the Hanuman Jayanti procession caused grievous provocations to the residents of Jahangirpuri, which ultimately resulted in violence. It effectively punctures the claims that the violence in Jahangirpuri was a result of a “spontaneous reaction” to “instigation” caused by the Hindu procession, and there was no preplanned conspiracy to throw the national capital into the flames of communal conflagration.
The fact that the rioters had bottles in advance suggests that mobs in Jahangirpuri were predisposed to attacking the Hindu procession long before they had arrived in the neighbourhood. It is perhaps to this end that rioters procured weapons, stones, and bottles so that when the Hindu procession passed through their region, they were equipped and armed enough to attack them.
This telltale disclosure was made hours after Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana on Monday rubbished social media claims that the violence erupted during the Hanuman Jayanti procession in Jahangirpuri after saffron flags were hoisted atop a mosque in the area.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, Asthana warned that some people on social media have been indulging in spreading fake news to create communal discord and impede the investigation. He warned strict action against such fake news peddlers.
At around 5.29 minutes into the press conference, Asthana said, “Some people are trying to disturb peace through the medium of social media. We are monitoring social media closely, and legal action will be taken against those who are found spreading misinformation. The public should not pay heed to rumours.”
Asthana’s statement rejecting the claims about the hoisting of a saffron flag atop the mosque is a slap in the face to the assorted gang of left-liberals who took to social media to peddle fake news to shift the public discourse away from Islamists’ role in the Delhi violence and toward the Hindu community, which organised the ‘Shobha Yatra’ on Hanuman Jayanti.
Left Liberals rush to whitewash Islamists accused of unleashing violence
On April 17, OpIndia reported how the liberal cabal initially made ‘appeals’ for peace when video footage showed men in skull caps, pelting stones and brandishing swords. They later went on to allege that the Hindus who took out the procession not only pelted stones at the mosque but also tried to hoist a saffron flag atop the Islamic place of prayer, which led to the clashes.
The first to come up with this conspiracy theory was Hindustan Times journalist Hemani Bhandari. Citing one Sajid Saifi, she claimed that the clashes began after Hindu worshippers forcibly entered the mosque and tried to hoist saffron flags. She also alleged the presence of ‘outsiders’ in the ‘Shobha Yatra’ by citing one resident named Wasim Qureshi. “Hindus and Muslims live in peace in this area. All these people were outsiders,” she tweeted quoting Qureshi.
This Tweet by a Hindustan Times journalist triggered a chain reaction. Mohammad Zubair, the co-founder of Islamist propaganda site Alt News and a fake news peddler, was quick to give credence to Hemani Bhandari’s fabrication by retweeting her tweet.
Similarly, a raft of other ‘liberals’ too pushed the narrative that the Jahangirpuri violence has its roots in “provocation” caused by the Hindu procession. However, the “reaction” theory falls flat after DCP NW Usha Rangnani revealed that rioters had procured bottles in advance from one Sheikh Hameed to attack the Hanuman Jayanti procession.
Jahangirpuri riots: Hindus face the brunt of Islamists during Hanuman Jayanti
On Saturday (April 16), a Hanuman Jayanti procession was attacked by Islamists in the Jahangarapuri area of Delhi. According to the FIR, the procession was moving peacefully. However, when it approached the Jama Masjid in C Block at 6 PM, a man named Ansar approached the procession with some of his companions and initiated an argument.
The dispute quickly escalated into stone-pelting, resulting in a stampede in the procession. According to the FIR, police attempted to take control of the situation, but a specific segment of the mob disregarded the orders and intensified the sloganeering and set ablaze some vehicles. The crowd kept pelting stones and glass bottles at the procession.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is likely to take over the probe into the Gorakhnath temple attack. A senior police officer privy to the case said that information about the Gorakhnath temple attack case in Uttar Pradesh is already being shared with the NIA.
Gorakhnath temple attacker Ahmad Murtuza Abbasi was charged under UAPA Act
This development came after the main accused Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi was sent to 14-day judicial custody for further interrogation. In addition, the police have also booked him under section 16 (terrorist act), section 18 (terror conspiracy), section 20 (being a member of a terrorist gang or organization), and section 40 (offense of raising funds for a terrorist organization) of the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
Abbasi was arrested after he had forcibly tried to enter the premises of the Gorakhnath temple and attacked two cops with a sharp weapon. Abbasi, who is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), attempted to break into the Gorakhnath temple premises on April 3 while shouting Allahu Akbar. The 30-year-old chemical engineering graduate attacked the security personnel with a sickle when they tried to stop him, injuring two Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) constables. He was later captured by the other security staff and subsequently arrested.
During interrogation, Murtaza told the ATS that he wanted the Sharia law to be implemented in the country. Reportedly, the accused, who is an IIT graduate, knew all the methods of making bombs easily. According to sources, he had also admitted to deleting some sensitive information from his laptop and mobile phone.
The police said that the confession indicated that Abbasi had been radicalized to the extent that he was even willing to die while committing such crimes. Abbasi reportedly came into contact with ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) after falling into a honey-trap. He had reportedly sent lakhs of rupees to bank accounts linked to ISIS.
Moreover, Murtaza Abbasi’s interrogation revealed that he was attempting to develop an app called ‘Jarima’ at the behest of Islamic terror groups. In Arabic, the word ‘Jarima’ means ‘oppression.’
Gorakhnath Temple Attack
On April 3, Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi initiated an attack on Gorakhnath Temple in Uttar Pradesh. The incident took place just a day before UP CM Yogi Adityanath was scheduled to visit the temple. Abbasi’s family claimed he was mentally unstable, but the claims were refuted by Police and doctors who treated him after the attack.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation from the Red Fort on the occasion of the 400th Parkash Purab of Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur on April 21, the Union Culture Ministry said on Monday, 18th of April.
To mark the occasion of the 400th Prakash Purab of Guru Tegh Bahadur, 400 ragis (musicians) will perform ‘Shabad Kirtan’ during the ceremony. PM Modi will also release a commemorative coin and postage stamp to mark the auspicious occasion. The event is being held jointly by Union Culture Ministry and Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee.
As part of the celebrations, Chief Ministers of several Indian states, and many prominent personalities from all across the country are expected to be invited to the event.
Generally, the Indian Prime Minister only addresses the nation from the Red Fort on Independence Day on the 15th of August. However, PM Modi has decided to use this auspicious occasion to address the nation from the Red Fort as well.
This special event is being organized under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrating the 75th year of Indian independence.
On Monday, 18 April, the Enforcement Directorate informed that they have attached properties worth over 757 crores owned by Amway Enterprises Ltd, a company accused of running a multi-level pyramid scam.
ED has provisionally attached assets worth Rs. 757.77 Crore belonging to M/s. Amway India Enterprises Private Limited, a company accused of running a multi-level marketing scam.
As per a report in ET, the attached assets include land, factories, plant machinery, bank accounts, vehicles and fixed deposits. While immovable/fixed assets are estimated to be up to Rs 411.83 crores, the bank balance and fixed deposits from over 36 different bank accounts make up to 345.94 crores.
The ED has accused Amway of running a pyramid fraud under the guise of direct selling multi-level marketing system. The land and factory buildings are located in Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul.
As per an India Today report, over a decade of its operations in India, from 2002-03 t 2021-22, Amway collected over Rs 27,562 crores and paid just over 7588 crores to its distributors and promoters in India and USA.
An ED statement regarding the recent action stated, “It is observed that the prices of most of the products offered by the company are exorbitant as compared to the alternative popular products of reputed manufacturers available in the open market. Without knowing the real facts, the common gullible public is induced to join as members of the company and purchase products at exorbitant prices and are thus losing their hard-earned money.”
The ED has also stated that while selling overpriced products, Amway cheated the gullible public by assuring them that they can become rich very fast by becoming their member-distributors. Amway reportedly bought Rs 21.39 crores as share capital in India during 1996-97 and by 2020-21, it has remitted over Rs 2859.10 in the name of dividends, royalty etc.
The ED has also stated that the companies Britt Worldwide India Private Limited and Network TwentyOne Private Limited had also played a major role in helping Amway promote its pyramid scheme by organising seminars and enrolling new members in a chain system.
Amway’s CEO William Pinckney has been arrested once in 2013 and once in 2014 for running an alleged pyramid scheme in India.
Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana Monday, rubbished social media claims that the violence erupted during the Hanuman Jayanti procession in Jahangirpuri after saffron flags were hoisted atop a mosque in the area. On April 17, a day after the violence, OpIndia reported how the liberal cabal took to social media to whitewash the perpetrators and contextualise the orgy of violence.
Jahangirpuri clashes: Delhi Police chief says no attempt was made to hoist saffron flag at a mosque during Hanuman Jayanti procession
Addressing a press conference on Monday, Asthana warned that some people on social media have been indulging in spreading fake news to create communal discord and impede the investigation. He warned strict action against such fake news peddlers.
At around 5.29 minutes into the press conference, Asthana said, “Some people are trying to disturb peace through the medium of social media. We are monitoring social media closely, and legal action will be taken against those who are found spreading misinformation. The public should not pay heed to rumours.”
Asthana promised action in the Jahangirpuri violence case, saying that no one involved in the clashes would be spared, regardless of class, creed, or religion. “Action will be taken against any person found guilty irrespective of their class, creed, community and religion,” he added.
The Delhi Police Commissioner added that a total of 23 people have been held so far in connection with the clashes. Eight of these held have a history of criminal cases against them.
“23 accused arrested till now. Nine people including police personnel and one civilian received injuries during the incident. The analysis of CCTV footage and digital media is being done. FSL teams have visited the scene of crime today,” the Delhi Police Commissioner said.
He further informed that there are 14 teams that have been formed to look at the case from all angles.
Asthana’s statement rejecting the claims about the hoisting of a saffron flag atop the mosque is a slap in the face to the assorted gang of left-liberals who took to social media to peddle fake news in order to shift the public discourse away from Islamists’ role in the Delhi violence and toward the Hindu community, which organised the ‘Shobha Yatra’ on Hanuman Jayanti.
Left Liberals rush to whitewash accused in Jahangirpuri violence
On April 17, OpIndia reported how the liberal cabal initially made ‘appeals’ for peace when video footage showed men in skull caps, pelting stones and brandishing swords. They later went on to allege that the Hindus who took out the procession not only pelted stones at the mosque but also tried to hoist a saffron flag atop the Islamic place of prayer, which led to the clashes.
The first to come up with this conspiracy theory was Hindustan Times journalist Hemani Bhandari. Citing one Sajid Saifi, she claimed that the clashes began after Hindu worshippers forcibly entered the mosque and tried to hoist saffron flags. She also alleged the presence of ‘outsiders’ in the ‘Shobha Yatra’ by citing one resident named Wasim Qureshi. “Hindus and Muslims live in peace in this area. All these people were outsiders,” she tweeted quoting Qureshi.
Screengrab of the tweet by Hemani Bhandari
This Tweet by a Hindustan Times journalist triggered a chain reaction. Mohammad Zubair, the co-founder of Islamist propaganda site Alt News and a fake news peddler, was quick to give credence to Hemani Bhandari’s fabrication by retweeting her Tweet.
Mohammed Zubair retweeted Hemani Bhandari’s Tweet
Likewise, Amit Pandey, who has bylines in Newslaundry, alleged that the Hindus who took out the procession not only pelted stones at the mosque but also tried to hoist a saffron flag atop the Islamic place of prayer. As a mark of ‘evidence’, he had posted a video that showed a saffron cloth placed on the mosque’s boundary wall.
India Today Deputy Editor Chaiti Narula claimed that the stone-pelting began exactly at the spot where Hindu devotees were seen brandishing shotguns and pistols.
Leftist propaganda website NDTV went a step ahead and published a ground report of the main accused Ansar. Instead of focusing on his role in the Jahangirpuri riots, the channel attempted to create a sympathy wave for the accused.
Former Radio Jockey Sayema also jumped into the fray to cast aspersions on the investigations being carried out by the Delhi police in the case, to paint the Islamists as the ‘perpetual victims.’
The false narratives these propagandists carefully attempted to weave to absolve the Islamists from the crime and project Hindus as the provocateurs fell flat after Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana debunked their claims on Monday.
Meanwhile, on Sunday (April 17), the Delhi police informed that they are investigating the angle of a larger conspiracy in connection to the deadly violence that took place in Jahangirpuri on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti.
The police are also tracing Rohingyas, illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and local criminals, who participated in the orgy of violence and pelted stones at the ‘Shobha yatra’ procession. Citing sources, The Times of Indiareported that the police had to widen the scope of investigation after witnessing the quick mobilisation of arms and weapons by the attacking mob.
Jangipuri riots: Hindus face the brunt of Islamists during Hanuman Jayanti
On Saturday (April 16), a Hanuman Jayanti procession was attacked by Islamists in the Jahangarapuri area of Delhi. According to the FIR, the procession was moving peacefully. However, when it approached the Jama Masjid in C Block at 6 PM, a man named Ansar approached the procession with some of his companions and initiated an argument. The dispute quickly escalated into stone-pelting, resulting in a stampede in the procession.
Delhi Police is probing the violence that took place on the day of Hanuman Jayanti in Jahangirpuri, Delhi. The Islamist mob had pelted stones and fired shots at Hindu Devotees taking out the Shobha Yatra. Several people and police personnel were injured. So far, the police have arrested 21 accused in the case. OpIndia talked to locals regarding the violence. H Block resident Dinesh told OpIndia that such incidents were not new for Jahangirpuri.
He said there had been several major incidents in the area that were not even discussed in the media. He told how young boys are seen harassing women. He claimed several Hindu women have been raped in the area and when they try to file a complaint, the Police start harassing them. He further claimed a woman in Jahagirpuri was raped for 15 days some time ago.
#जहांगीरपुरी की जिस मस्जिद के आगे #हनुमान_जन्मोत्सव शोभायात्रा पर हमला हुआ, वहां कुछ समय पहले यति नरसिंहानंद सरस्वती के पोस्टरों को पैरों से कुचला गया था.
Dinesh said, “The woman was a Hindu, while the rape accused were Muslim. The woman was beaten up by the accused in front of the police station. Being a Muslim-dominated area, they have forced the woman to sell her house and leave the area. In another case, a girl was raped. We do not trust Police hence I will not take any names. The family of the girl has moved out of here. No FIR was registered by the Police.”
He said such victims could not be helped as they had left the place due to fear and torture. Around 5-6 months ago, there was a case of cash snatching where the accused had snatched Rs 4,000-5,000 from the victim. When Police approached to question him, he held a pistol at the Police. He added that Hindus never disturb the Muslims during their Muharram processions and every year Muharram processions happen without any incident.
He termed the stone-pelting incident on Hindu devotees a conspiracy and said Police personnel have been beaten up several times in Jahangirpuri. Police personnel named Netrapal was beaten up by a man who was running a gambling racket in the region, he claimed. Dinesh said the fish market in the region was open during the Covid-19 time and they did not follow the guidelines. Even the Police failed to impose the restrictions.
He added small children carry knives and commit crimes in the area. There was an incident where a boy forcefully married a Hindu girl at knifepoint and raped her. He said they have no hopes from the Police and demanded appropriate action against the culprits. He said, “When Police do not listen to us, where should we go to file complaints?”
Dinesh added, “Most of the people who live here are Bangladeshis. The Police are very scared of them. They do not lay hands on them. They kill the Police personnel as well. Most of them live in slums. There are a lot of them who have earned huge wealth by doing illegal businesses. The agencies should investigate such criminal activities. These people had also gone to West Bengal to support Mamata Banerjee in elections.” Now it is up to the administration how many of these culprits get punished for the crimes.
Jahagirpuri riots
On April 16, Islamists attacked Hanuman Jayanti Shobha Yatra in Jahangirpuri, Delhi. Several people were injured, including police personnel. So far, 40 people have been arrested by the Police in the case, including prime accused Ansar and Aslam. There have been allegations that Ansar is an Aam Aadmi Party member, and the party is yet to respond to the same.
“How can Hindus play a victim in a country where they are in a majority?” the ignorant comeback often paints a sordid picture of the tragedies the Hindus go through if at all they gather the courage to talk about it. The Hindus, devoid of the ‘national’ consciousness of existing as a civilization over millennia have been left as ‘global’ victims of hate, Islamic terrorism, liberal fundamentalism and leftist radicalisation today.
The Hindu exercises in self-assertion are vilified – be it the ‘communal’ saffron shawls against Burqas, which can be in turn be normalised as essential religious practices. But when the society opens itself for a greater discussion on the allowance of the Hijab, it is the Hindutva activist Harsha who is hacked to death in Shimmogga.
While the Hindus have been robbed of their right to self-identity, it turns out, they do not have the agency to be victims as well. At a time when Hindu festivals are terrorised with instances of stone-pelting, targeting and gun firing across the country, The Wire journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani was apparently not able to ‘Breathe’. Was Arfa Suffocated inside the echo chamber of lies and propaganda aimed at the vilification of Hindus? Turns out, No! She found an opportunity to shove her victim card as a ‘Muslim’ when it was the Hindu community who was being crushed in the communal cauldron for celebrating its festivals.
Tweet by Wire Journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani which was later deleted possibly due to a typo
In Jahangirpuri of Delhi, stones were pelted at a Hanuman Jayanti Shobhayatra on Saturday night after the procession supposedly passed through a ‘Muslim area’. Just the sight of the ‘Kafir’ Hindus evoking salutations to their ‘demi-god’ was so atrocious, that the severe neurological instinct to pick up the closest stone and throw it onto the lesser civilized heathens was charged in some. But it was now time for Sherwani to sit inside her ‘The Wire’ office at Gole Market in central Delhi to do her part.
The room was lit, with books stuffed in every corner possible. Arfa Khanum Sherwani, dressed in her richly pressed fab India cotton saree sat on a chair with a folded leg in poise. The camera rolled as ‘eminent historian’ Ramchandra Guha, in another room full of books, appeared on the window next to Arfa. The Wire went live with the two discussing how the ‘Saffron shade of Hindutva is communalizing the merely existing secular fabric of the nation after independence.’ Stripping off the context, Khanum stressed upon Saffron flags being attached atop the mosques to the economic boycott of the Muslims. The Islamist perpetrators were to be whitewashed, whereas the Hindu reactionary response was to be slagged as communal.
At the same time, the repeated instances of stone-pelting on Hindu processions were to be sophisticatedly wrapped as just another instance of ‘communal tension’ fulled by the Hindu extremists who dared to enter a Muslim-majority area.
“सरकार जो सत्ता में हैं इन दंगों का और इन गुंडों का साथ दे रही है, जब उपद्रवी उपद्रव करते हैं तो उनको पता होता है कि प्रशासन और नेता उनका समर्थन कर रहे हैं”
The hegemony in mainstream media was not enough that the agenda peddlers have found a new window on social media to set their narrative against the Hindus. The thumb rules remain the same – one community has the right to be omnipresent victims as far as the Indian state thrives. At the same time, the Hindu victims of hate are to be either sidelined as normal law-and-order cases or are to be trampled under the kosher narrative of indefinite Muslim victimhood whatsoever.
“This Ramzan has been a testing time for the 220 million Indian Muslims,” tweeted Rana Ayyub who is determined to repeat her lie of ‘Muslim persecution in India’ until it is accepted in the post-truth world. Ayyub, who must be willfully incognizant of the story of Ramzan must hear this – that in the run-up to the holy month, the open calls of ‘Azaadi’ and ‘Allahu Akbar’ (There is no greater god than Allah) were given against the Hindus and Indian state by terrorists. The month kicked off with rising Jihadi tensions in Kashmir rising in the cases of killings and attacks on Hindu temples.
This Ramzan has been a testing time for the 220 million Indian Muslims. Please keep us in your prayers as we navigate one of the toughest periods in our history. Please speak up for justice and an end to our persecution as world leaders maintain a strategic silence on India.
The stone-pelting attacks in Kashmir which are normalised as ‘acts of Azaadi’ by many commentators, snowballed as a pattern that followed all over the subcontinent. Stones, gun shells, and bottles were fired by Muslim mobs at Hindu processions taken out on Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti from Jahangirpuri in Delhi to Khargone in Madhya Pradesh to Kurnool in Andhra. Yet, Ayyub finds it as a case of violent persecution of Muslims in India. Radio Jockey Sayema found it pertinent to blame the violence on Hindus on the ‘Dharam Sansads’ instead.
All so-called ‘dharam’ sansads calling for genocide of a community are directly responsible for communal clashes across the country. The system is faking ignorance because the system is unjust.
Sensationalism drives the economy of the Indian Left, whereas intellectualisation of the Jihadi mindset thrives under it. Under the veil of secularism, a section of entitled Muslim commentators has gone from being hardcore enablers of Islamists to rabid footsoldiers of Islamism. An extremist Jihadi on a faraway street had a stone in one hand, while the agenda drivers have now bestowed upon him a victim card in his other hand. In times of Hindu calamity, the propagandists have found a space for Muslim victimhood.
Gone are the days when Hinduphobia was a Twitter trend, the times have changed to what we see as pure, blatant Hindu hatred holding the country under its toes. Meanwhile, the omnipresence of the Muslim victimhood looks as immortal as Hanuman, a deity who symbolised resistance and resolution of Hindus to stand up against hate amidst the communal chaos directed at them.
