BJP Legislator In Bihar State Says Muslims Should Be Set Ablaze
Haribhushan Thakur Bachau, a legislator of the Hindu right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bihar state, has added to the growing clamor among Hindu extremists for a Muslim genocide by encouraging Hindus to set Muslims ablaze.
Speaking at an event in Bihar, Bachau said, “Just like Ravana’s Lanka was burnt by Hanuman ji (Hindu deity), the demon-like Ravanas who are hovering over Bihar and the country should also be burnt.” ‘Demon-like Ravanas’ is a reference to religious and other minorities in the country, especially Muslims.
The hateful event was also attended by BJP leader Kapil Mishra, a prominent Hindu supremacist who also has a history of open anti-Muslim hatred. Mishra had traveled to Khargone in Madhya Pradesh last month and indulged in hate speech, which led to mass violence against Muslims. In February 2020, Mishra called for violence against Muslims in Delhi, which immediately triggered a pogrom of Muslims.
Former BJP MLA Threatens Repeat Of Babri Masjid Demolition On 17th-Century Mosque In Varanasi, PM Modi’s Electoral District
Sangeet Som, a former legislator of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, threatened the destruction of the 17th-century Gyanvapi mosque in a violent manner similar to the demolition of the Babri Masjid by Hindu extremists in 1992.
“That was 1992 and this is 2022. The strength of the youth has doubled now and time has come to take another decision,” Som said at an event.
Som also posted inflammatory hate speech to his Facebook page: “Aurangzeb made the Gyanvapi mosque. In 1992, it was Babri and now in 2022 it is the turn of Gyanvapi. It is time to take back the temple which was demolished to make a mosque.”
Opposition spokesperson Surendra Rajput condemned the hateful call, saying, “This is exactly the gameplan of the BJP, to create unrest and divisions in society… We are heading for dangerous times.”
The Babri Masjid was demolished by a Hindu extremist mob who claimed without evidence that the Mughal-era mosque had been constructed on land holy to Hindus. The mob was made up of 150,000 people, led by right-wing Hindu nationalists belonging to the paramilitary Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the BJP, and the extremist Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), all of which have links to fascist ideologies.
Shockingly, India’s Supreme Court awarded that land to the Hindus even while acknowledging that no evidence existed that the mosque had been built by demolishing a temple, and also ruling that its demolition was a criminal act.
University Professor Suspended For Comparing Hindutva To Nazism
Waqas Farooq Kuttay, an assistant professor at a private college, Sharda University, in Uttar Pradesh state, was suspended for including a question on a political science exam that linked Nazism and Hindutva, or Hindu nationalism. A private probe team that investigated the matter claimed that the question was “prima facie objectionable,” showcasing the power of the BJP and Hindu extremism over academia as well as the government.
A photo of the question paper, which asked, “Do you find any similarities between Fascism/Nazism and Hindu right wing (Hindutva)? Elaborate with arguments” was shared on social media by BJP leader Vikash Preetam Sinha.
Hindu extremist Twitter users then began trending the hashtag #BanShardaUniversity, claiming that the question “vilified Hindus.”
The university has apologized for the question in a statement, saying, “The university regrets that such an incident has taken place that may have the potential for fomenting social discord.”
The founders of the ideology of Hindutva and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which is India’s main Hindu nationalist organization, have openly been influenced by Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. One of India’s leading Hindu supremacists had in the 1930s traveled to Italy and met Mussolini. Such leaders have repeatedly written that Hindus should commit a genocide of Muslims in India just as the Nazis committed the Holocaust.
BJP Youth Wing Protests Inclusion Of Urdu In Exams
The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the BJP, staged a protest against the Telangana government’s move to allow candidates taking the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) exam to answer questions in Urdu, a language associated with Muslim culture due to its Arabic roots.
The Hindu extremists claimed that allowing Urdu alongside English and Telugu showed “favoritism” to Muslims and would “jeopardize” the chance of Hindus to receive the post. BJP state party president Bandi Sanjay further promised that “if and when BJP comes to power,” candidates who chose Urdu as their medium in the exam would be removed.
Hindu Extremist Mob Demands Renaming Qutub Minar Monument
A mob of Hindu extremists from a self-styled group named United Hindu Front (UHF) chanted Hindu devotional songs outside of the Qutub Minar monument in Delhi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a relic of Muslim rule in India.
The extremist group also demanded that the monument be declared a Hindu temple and be given the Hindi name “Vishnu Stambh” in an attempt to erase Muslim contributions to Indian history.
Several of the extremists were detained outside the complex and were transferred to the police station. However, it is unclear whether they will face adequate consequences for advocating for the erasure of Indian Muslim history.
