Indian Hindutva leader Yati Narsinghanand organized a 3-day assembly in Haridwar from 17 – 19 Dec and called for mass genocide of Muslims. It is a meeting where all the extremists gather to practice hate speech against minorities and other religions. Similarly, in a recent gathering, several far-right groups with ties to the ruling party made multiple calls to kill the minority religions and attack their places of worship. They explicitly called for the ethnic cleansing of India’s 200 million Muslims with weapons better than swords.
Narsinghanand is a controversial “priest” from Dasna Devi temple in Ghaziabad. He told the crowd that economic boycotts never work and that we had to kill Muslims. Another speaker was Sadvhi Annapurna, a General Secretary of Hindu Mahasabha (grand assembly). She added phrases to the speech like “nothing can be done without weapons” and ‘we only needed 100 soldiers to kill 20 lakhs Muslims”.
Senseless remarks like these were echoing all over the district unphased. Other hate-mongers who spoke at the event included Anand Swaroop Maharaj, Sagar Sindhuraj Maharaj, Dharamdas Maharaj, and BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay.
Preparations for Genocide of Muslims in India?
Swami Prabodhanand Giri, who has deep connections with the Indian government led by BJP, said they were “making preparations” and “the path is set for you”. He alleged that Hindus were massacred and forced out of Myanmar by Muslims so that they would be doing the same. Narsinghanand added that “either you prepare to die now, or get ready to kill. There is no other way”. He continued, “every Hindu must pick up weapons and start cleanliness drive”.
The videos from the meeting were live-streaming on social media, making several users furious. It was alarming how they made an open call for genocide of Muslims under encouragement from government personnel. It led many to wonder if the Indian government also condone this activity by rampant extremists.
Why is the Indian Government Failing to Intervene?
Intellectuals in India have been condemning the speech and warning about the activities of the ruling government. Critics of Modi say that he has failed to prevent the rising incidents of attacks on minorities, misuse of religious sentiments by Hindu extremists, and intolerance against dissent. Since 2014, when Modi came to power, Hindu mobs have lynched many minorities, especially Muslims and Dalit Hindus, after accusing them of illegally trading cows and consuming beef. To many critics, it looks like the Indian government is moving towards a planned genocide of Muslims.
Some even stepped forward to register complaints against the conclave, knowing that it wouldn’t work anyway. Saket Gokhale from Mamata Banerjee’s party Trinamool Congress shared that he has also filed a complaint against the event. He explained how the violence-provoking speakers were punishable under Sections 153A and 295A of the Indian Penal Code 1860. However, they get to go scot-free every time.
Islam-Free India
Like all other extremists, Yati Narsinghanand is widely known for wanting an “Islam-mukt Baharat” (Islam-Free India) through the genocide of Muslims. He trains Hindu boys aged 8 to 25 to fight Islam by procreating more offspring to outnumber Muslims. Uttar Pradesh (UP) police labelled him a “serial troublemaker” in 2019 for repeatedly organizing similar hate speech events to provoke communal tensions. He is recognized as a highly respected figure among Indian right-wing groups, despite his derogatory statements about women politicians. He once said that the women in Indian politics were rakhails (mistresses) of their male counterparts.
Moreover, his associates and underlings also commit physical violence regularly. According to reports, one of his disciples, Sevak Shringi Nandan, assaulted a teenage Muslim. The 14-year-old boy was unaware that the temple prohibited the entry of Muslims, so he went inside to drink water. Upon learning his religious identity, he kicked his genitals, twisted his arms, and banged them several times on the ground. Letting this dangerous figure roam free is as problematic as making Yogi Adityanath a Chief Minister of UP.
