A video believed to be shot in Kavalande in Nanjangud Taluk – a town in Mysuru district, India – has broken the internet as some bystanders watching Muslim men chant “Takbeer” – a Muslim slogan that signifies the greatness and the unity of God – dub the village as “Chota Pakistan”. In the video, Muslim men believed to be returning from the Eid prayer can be heard chanting “Naara E Takbeer, Allahu Akbar “.
Amidst the flurry of emotions, some onlookers can be heard saying that “Yeh bhi Chota Pakistan ha (This too is mini Pakistan), after which the individual recording the revolutionary moment shouted “Kavalande bole to Chota Pakistan, theek hain” which roughly translates to Kavalande means mini Pakistan. The video is believed to be shot on the day of Eid-Ul-Fitr.
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The video garnered a lot of attention and went viral within hours of posting. Indian columnist Chakravarty Sulibele shared the video and questioned whether there was a “Volcano erupting “. He added, “Muslims took procession yesterday in a village Kavalande of Mysuru. Just listen the bhaijan who shot the video says this is mini Pakistan!! Volcano erupting?. The video triggered a knee-jerk reaction from the Indian government authorities, which condemned the incident. Reacting to the video, Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said that he would ask the SP to investigate the matter and follow it up by taking necessary action. Following his comments, the district police of Mysuru formed two teams to probe the matter and arrest the accused.
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The Indian government initiated its crackdown on dissenting voices ever since the Modi government came in. Amnesty International has repeatedly called the Indian government to “immediately stop its escalating crackdown on protesters, farming leaders and journalists ‘. It further called on the India authorities to immediately release individuals “arrested solely for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”
The Indian government has also been engaged in exercising state control over media and curbing press freedom. A recent report launched by the Reporters Without Borders which assesses 180 countries and territories, placed India at 150th.