Skip to main content

Saffron hype against minorities seeking to 'proliferate' myths, prejudices, biases

By Ram Puniyani* 

In the case of Jamia violence of 2019, 11 students were arrested. One of them was Sharjeel Imam, who was student of JNU. The others included likes of Safoora Zargar and Asif Iqbal Tanha. While discharging them, the Delhi High Court commented, “Police was unable to apprehend 'actual perpetrators' and 'surely managed to rope them (accused) as scapegoats' in the matter.” 
Court also observed that police has been filing supplementary charge sheets with nothing new to offer. Surely it was to drag the case and keep these eleven in the jail. There many others like Umar Khalid who were talking of harmony and peace are behind the bar, which Anurag Thakur got promotion from Minister of state to Cabinet minister after his provocative Goli maro (Shoot them).
In the wake of Covid 19, it came to be known that many Tablighi Jamaat (TJ) members were having a conclave in Delhi. Some had come from abroad. The godi (lap) media jumped to the opportunity and blamed the TJ members for spread of Corona calling it Corona Jihad and Corona Bomb, many delegates were arrested. Around same time a massive Namaste Trump meeting was held in Ahmadabad, Kanika Kapoor a noted singer had come from aboard and was holding many shows, a Sikh Granthi who had come from abroad was having many meetings. 
Those arrested underwent a painful ordeal and later were released as High Court observed, “A political Government tries to find the scapegoat when there is pandemic or calamity and the circumstances show that there is probability that these foreigners were chosen to make them scapegoats. The aforesaid circumstances and the latest figures of infection in India show that such action against present petitioners should not have been taken.”
In the wake of series of blasts Malegaon, Mecca Masjid and Ajmer many Muslim youth were arrested and later released for the lack of any evidence, but meanwhile their careers stood ruined and their families defamed. ANHAD, the human rights organization did come out with a report “Scapegoats and Holy Cows”. Similarly, the Jamia Teachers Association published a report, ‘Framed, Dammed and Acquitted’. It points out as to how usually Muslims are implicated, tried and later released after long period of imprisonment. It is the Courts which occasionally come to their rescue and they are released.
There is ‘other’ side of the story. Many saffron clads and those owing allegiance to sectarian agenda spread hate with gay abandon. One recalls the fairly recent utterance of the Bhopal MP, Pragya Singh Thakur, who is currently on bail in Malegaon blast case, asking people to keep sharp knives for punishing those indulging in love jihad. Last couple of weeks there a spate of Hate speeches from ‘Holy’ men-women and even those who are part of ruling party. There are rallies where BJP leaders are seen and Hate speech is blurted in gay abandon.
One ‘Hindu Janakrosh Morcha’ held over 20 rallies in Maharashtra and spewed hate against Muslim community on the issue of conversion and love jihad. It had planned a rally in Mumbai on 6th February in which in addition of conversion and love jihad it was to give the call of boycott Muslim traders. The petition was filed against its plan. The Court in its wisdom directed the police to take action against Hate speech under section 151. When this provision is there why have the police not being taken action.
A rally of various HIndutva groups was held in Delhi at Jantar Mantar (5th Feb 2023), where the call was given to stock weapons to kill Muslims and Christians. As per a report in The Scroll, “In one of the videos, which has been widely shared on social media, a monk is seen asking Hindus to stock weapons to kill Muslims and Christians. In another video, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Suraj Pal Amu is seen calling for violence…” We have been seeing such calls being given in Dharm Sansads by the likes of Yati Narsinghnand and company, who surely are having a state cover and enjoy the impunity.
Last couple of years Yati Narsinghanad, Mahamandleshwar of Juna Akhara has been doing the same with increased intensity. Many FIRS were lodged against him for his comments against women and his Hardwar Dharma Sansad Hate speech. He was even arrested but later got bail with ease.
Let’s look at the contrasting situation. The Muslim youth are generally put under UAPA and other clause; where the bail is difficult or the deliberate delay is organized by authorities keeps them behind the bars. The Hindutva/BJP/Saffron clad saints are put against mild charges and jail is exceptionally rare if at all.
In a way two sets of justice delivery systems have developed in the society due to the rise of communal politics. The myths, prejudices and biases against minority communities are very deep set due to organized propaganda. Large section of media, IT cell, and thousands of Whatsapp groups been set up by them. 
At one level, the ground level shakha work the type of history stories about Shivaji, Govind Singh Rana Pratap vis a vis Allauddin Khilji, Aurangzeb and Muslim rulers in general are the staple diet on which the swayamsevaks of RSS are trained in a thorough manner. Their further deepening occurs at pracharak level where after months of indoctrination the Hindu Rashtra ideology.
This is at basic level. As they go up in the hierarchy of political structure and organizations floated by them, they try to put on sophisticated language to hide the Hate ideology. So a RSS chief will say that we are all Hindus, will talk of ‘Vasudhiava Kutumbkam’ due to which many ideologues and thinkers feel it is worth having a dialogue with this organization. Their deep agenda leads to a stage where Yogi Adityanath will talk of Sanatan Hindu Rashtra.
Can the deep set hate be combated in any rational way? The emotive issues are further worsening the situation and starting from Ram Temple, to beef to various types of jihad and lately love jihad becomes the divisive and hate spreading slogan on which the sectarian nationalist ideology thrives. There is a need to promote fraternity and the police/state officials in particular need to be trained in the Indian culture and history, which is plural and inclusive.
---
*Political commentator. Source: author's blog

Comments

TRENDING

From plagiarism to proxy exams: Galgotias and systemic failure in education

By Sandeep Pandey*   Shock is being expressed at Galgotias University being found presenting a Chinese-made robotic dog and a South Korean-made soccer-playing drone as its own creations at the recently held India AI Impact Summit 2026, a global event in New Delhi. Earlier, a UGC-listed journal had published a paper from the university titled “Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis,” which became the subject of widespread ridicule. Following the robotic dog controversy coming to light, the university has withdrawn the paper. These incidents are symptoms of deeper problems afflicting the Indian education system in general. Galgotias merely bit off more than it could chew.

The 'glass cliff' at Galgotias: How a university’s AI crisis became a gendered blame game

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan*  “She was not aware of the technical origins of the product and in her enthusiasm of being on camera, gave factually incorrect information.” These were the words used in the official press release by Galgotias University following the controversy at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi. The statement came across as defensive, petty, and deeply insensitive.

Farewell to Saleem Samad: A life devoted to fearless journalism

By Nava Thakuria*  Heartbreaking news arrived from Dhaka as the vibrant city lost one of its most active and committed citizens with the passing of journalist, author and progressive Bangladeshi national Saleem Samad. A gentleman who always had issues to discuss with anyone, anywhere and at any time, he passed away on 22 February 2026 while undergoing cancer treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He was 74. 

From ancient wisdom to modern nationhood: The Indian story

By Syed Osman Sher  South of the Himalayas lies a triangular stretch of land, spreading about 2,000 miles in each direction—a world of rare magic. It has fired the imagination of wanderers, settlers, raiders, traders, conquerors, and colonizers. They entered this country bringing with them new ethnicities, cultures, customs, religions, and languages.

Conversion laws and national identity: A Jesuit response response to the Hindutva narrative

By Rajiv Shah  A recent book, " Luminous Footprints: The Christian Impact on India ", authored by two Jesuit scholars, Dr. Lancy Lobo and Dr. Denzil Fernandes , seeks to counter the current dominant narrative on Indian Christians , which equates evangelisation with conversion, and education, health and the social services provided by Christians as meant to lure -- even force -- vulnerable sections into Christianity.

Sergei Vasilyevich Gerasimov, the artist who survived Stalin's cultural purges

By Harsh Thakor*  Sergei Vasilyevich Gerasimov (September 14, 1885 – April 20, 1964) was a Soviet artist, professor, academician, and teacher. His work was posthumously awarded the Lenin Prize, the highest artistic honour of the USSR. His paintings traced the development of socialist realism in the visual arts while retaining qualities drawn from impressionism. Gerasimov reconciled a lyrical approach to nature with the demands of Soviet socialist ideology.

Thali, COVID and academic credibility: All about the 2020 'pseudoscientific' Galgotias paper

By Jag Jivan*    The first page image of the paper "Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis" published in the Journal of Molecular Pharmaceuticals and Regulatory Affairs , Vol. 2, Issue 2 (2020), has gone viral on social media in the wake of the controversy surrounding a Chinese robot presented by the Galgotias University as its original product at the just-concluded AI summit in Delhi . The resurfacing of the 2020 publication, authored by  Dharmendra Kumar , Galgotias University, has reignited debate over academic standards and scientific credibility.

Development at what cost? The budget's blind spot for the environment

By Raj Kumar Sinha*  The historical ills in the relationship between capital and the environment have now manifested in areas commonly referred to as the "environmental crisis." This includes global warming, the destruction of the ozone layer, the devastation of tropical forests, mass mortality of fish, species extinction, loss of biodiversity, poison seeping into the atmosphere and food, desertification, shrinking water supplies, lack of clean water, and radioactive pollution. 

Public money, private profits: Crop insurance scheme as goldmine for corporates

By Vikas Meshram   The farmer in India is not merely a food provider; he is the soul of the nation. For centuries, enduring natural calamities and bearing debt generation after generation while remaining loyal to the soil, this community now finds itself trapped in a different kind of crisis. In February 2016, the Modi government launched the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) with the stated objective of freeing farmers from the shackles of debt. It was an ambitious attempt to provide a strong safety net to cultivators repeatedly devastated by excessive rainfall, drought, and hailstorms.