December 25, 2021

Hindu right-wing extremist call for muslim genocide

topic:	Islamophobia
located:	India
editor:	Tish Sanghera

Haridwar, a city located on the banks of the Ganges, is an important pilgrimage site for Hindus. This week, it was the venue for a religious conference which targeted shocking levels of hate speech against India’s muslims. In a video that has now gone viral on social media, religious leaders, donning the typical orange robes of Hindu sages, called for the population to take up weapons and carry out mass killings. 

During the three-day event live-streamed on Youtube, the controversial right-wing Hindu group known as the ‘Yati Narsinghanand’ convened multiple speakers from across the radical Hindutva ecosystem. With arms raised in a nazi-style salute, they took an oath to build an exclusively Hindu nation, committing to using violence and killing if needed. 

Even amidst the already commonplace anti-muslim and anti-minority rhetoric in India, the event has caused shockwaves on social media for its militant call to arms. “If 100 of us are ready to kill two million of them [muslims], then we will win and make India a Hindu nation,” said Pooja Shakun Pandey, a leader of Hindu Mahasabha, a group that promotes violent Hindu nationalism. “Be ready to kill and go to jail.”

In a shocking call for genocide, one speaker, identified as Swami Prabodhanand Giri, called on Hindus to emulate the horrific violence meted out against Myanmar’s muslims earlier this year. "Like Myanmar, our police, our politicians, our army and every Hindu must pick up weapons and conduct a safayi abhiyan (meaning ‘cleaning campaign’ referring to ethnic cleansing). There is no other option left,” reported The Independent. 

Prabodhanand’s comments are particularly alarming considering his strong connections to the BJP, India’s current ruling party. He regularly shares photos of himself with party leaders, including the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, a self-styled godman and the head of India’s most populous state. Adityanath, who is increasingly seen as Prime Minister Modi’s potential heir, has fanned anti-muslim hatred for years. With both UP and Uttarakhand (the state where this meeting was held) soon heading to the polls, many expect the violence directed at muslims to continue - a common BJP campaign strategy to divert attention from socio-economic issues and rally its Hindu base.

In contrast to the swift police action against rights activists, protestors and even comedians, the Haridwar speakers can expect no legal repercussions for their words. Indeed, when asked why the police could not make arrests under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA)  law - the same law used recently to jail a stand-up comedian for a joke said to ‘incite communal tension’ - the state director general of police said it was because the event “did not lead to any violence or killing.”

The events of this week feel like a watershed moment for India’s Hindutva proponents. A new level of ethno-nationalism appears to have been unlocked, one where rallying cries for genocide will soon be normalised. With the country’s leadership remaining silent on the attack against India’s secular foundation, suggesting tacit approval, a new generation of homegrown terrorists are being empowered.

Photo by Levi Meir Clancy 

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