Indian Hindus Against Hate campaigners condemned saffron-clad men and women attacking places of worship of other faiths.
Published Apr 08, 2023 | 10:11 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 09, 2023 | 7:39 AM
The group cited the recent incidents of violence against people from minorities by right-wing Hindu groups. (Creative Commons)
At least 554 individuals from different parts of the country made a powerful statement against pro-Hindutva groups unleashing violence on non-Hindus, saying, “We are Hindus, we don’t feel we are in danger.”
The statement, made in a petition on Saturday, 8 April, was in response to Hindutva groups’ propaganda slogan, “Hindu khatre mein hai (Hindus are in danger).”
These individuals came together under the banner of Indian Hindus Against Hate and signed the petition condemning the assault on non-Hindu institutions and people.
The anti-hate campaigners strongly condemned the use of Rama’s name to instigate violence and vandalism.
They appealed that no one should be forced to chant Jai Shri Ram unless they do so of their own volition.
“This petition does not demand anything from the state. We are just saying that we reject violence and the politics of hate in the name of our religion by Hindutva forces,” the group’s convenor Ashish Ranjan told South First.
“We strongly condemn saffron-clad men and women entering private places of worship, heckling, molesting, and physically and verbally attacking those from other faiths,” he added.
In March, a group of former civil servants had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking assurance to ensure equal and unbiased treatment for Christians.
They pointed out the increasing incidents of discrimination against Christians in the country.
Indian Hindus Against Hate campaigners cited recent incidents of violence against people from minorities by right-wing Hindutva groups.
“In March, a Hindutva group forcibly entered a mosque, assaulted a Muslim cleric, allegedly trimmed his beard, and forced him to chant Jai Shri Ram,” the group alleged.
According to news reports, some people participating in a Ram Navami procession on 31 March, vandalised a mosque and set it on fire at Biharsharif, a town in Bihar’s Nalanda district.
It was also alleged that the mob targeted Muslim-owned properties in the town.
The group — Indian Hindus Against Hate — also cited another instance of violence on Ram Navami.
Some people, suspected to be pro-Hindutva elements, pelted stones at mosques, while “aggressively chanting anti-Muslim slogans” and danced with sharp weapons — “all in the name of Hinduism”.
On 27 March, a group broke into a Muslim man’s house in Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, and forcibly stopped people from offering prayers in the presence of the police.
“Hindus forcibly entering houses of peacefully praying Christians and vandalising churches have become quite common,” the anti-hate campaigners claimed.
The forcible entry and vandalism of minority religions’ institutions and the boisterous Hindu celebrations outside mosques go against the religion’s intrinsic spirit of tolerance and the tenets of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (a Sanskrit phrase, meaning, the world is one family), the group said.
Noting that people are being beaten, tortured, lynched, and forced to chant Jai Shri Ram should leave Hindus filled with shame.
“Is this how we want Rama’s name to be used by those Hindus who understand nothing more than mob violence? When we deny people’s right to peacefully gather to pray or when we barge into private spaces and attack individuals for choosing which God to pray to, are we drawing them closer to our religion,” the group asked.
It added that the slogan Hindu khatre mein hai was being repeatedly used to scare Hindus, and fear could force people to believe in false propaganda.
“Fear can also make us cruel and violent. The world is also observing and trying to understand Hinduism. Can we be comfortable saying that ‘it’s Hindutva, not Hinduism’ when our identities are being used to propagate hate and violence”, the group further asked
They also sought to know if Hindus are a part of the narrative that Hinduism is a peaceful, inclusive, and tolerant religion that allows everyone to seek their paths to salvation “or do we want to be seen as representatives of organised mobs that destroy everyone and anyone they imagine as an enemy”?
Stating that Lord Rama cannot be associated with violence, hatred, or vandalism, the group appealed to spread the message that “we are Hindus who don’t feel we are in any khatre (danger).”
“We firmly reject what is being done in our names. Most public spaces, which are supposed to be secular, have displays of Hindu religious symbols, deities, etc. We can even see this in courts, police stations, hospitals, schools, etc,” the group said.
“We strongly condemn noisy and unruly groups brandishing weapons and saffron flags outside places of worship of religious minorities,” Ranjan said.
“This is done with the intent of instigating other religious minorities, taunting and goading them to be aggressive. This is not the form of worship that represents Hinduism,” he added.
