News Analysis |
A case under non-bailable sections has been registered against Sadhvi Saraswati, a Hindutva hardliner, for making divisive comments aimed at promoting enmity and hatred between religious communities at a gathering in Kasaragod district in the state. The case has been filed at the Badiadka police station in the district, four days after the controversial preacher made the remarks at a public gathering.
An officer at the police station told indianexpress.com that the case under sections 295(a), 153 and 506 of the IPC has been booked against the sadhvi in response to a complaint by a private individual. He said that police has begun an investigation and is looking at gathering evidence of the remarks that were made at a function called the ‘Virat Hindu Samajotsavam’ organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) at the Badiadka-Bolgatta ground. Close to 10,000 people were reported to have attended the function.
The `Sadhvi’, who is no stranger to making provocative speeches against ‘meat eaters’, has been booked for exhorting Hindus to carry swords to slay ‘love jihadis’ and those who slaughter cows. She was recently addressing a Hindu Samajotsava at Bolukatte grounds which was presided over by Badiadukka Panchayat president KN Krishna Bhat of the Congress.
Increasing incidents of ‘mob lynching’ and the silence of the Modi government have encouraged more hate groups and terrorists who have struck fear into the hearts of Muslims and lower-caste Indians.
On Friday, Sadhvi Saraswati, who was the chief guest at the function, said, “Aapki kalai pe aapki behen rakhi bandhti hai. Aap isko uphaar mein kapde, gehne mithaiyan, jo bhi dete hai, uske saath saath apni behen ko uphar mein ek gift ke roop mein ek talwar bhi zarur aaj se de dena. Taaki koi bhi love jihadi aapki behen ke taraf aankh uthake dekhen toh aapki behen uska gala kaatke maa bharti ke charnon pe sambhalne ki taakat rakh sake (Your sister ties the rakhi on your wrist. You, in return, gift her clothes, jewelry and sweets. But along with that, gift her also a sword from now on so that even when a love jihadi glances at her, she would be brave enough to behead him and offer it at the feet of Mother India).”
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In continuation of such vitriolic statements, she went on to say that those who indulge in the slaughter of cows must be similarly slaughtered in public. Her remarks alluded to the consumption of beef in the state. She also added that no force can stop the construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The sadhvi, who is no stranger to making controversial statements at public rallies, is the president of the Sanatan Dharma Prachar Seva Samiti and hails from Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh. Her father was the Vidarbha convenor of the Bajrang Dal and from a young age, she has been associated with the activities of the RSS and the VHP.
In March 2015, a similar case was registered against her for making provocative statements at a function in Mangalore in Karnataka. In poll-bound Karnataka, the steady growth of Hindutva in coastal districts of the state, which has cultural links with Kasargod, has been widely reported in the past several years.
With the rise of the Hindutva fundamentalist BJP to power in 2014, Hindutva militants have become prominent in most parts of India. These brutal militants have enacted savage murders of mainly Muslims on various reasons such as “Gau Raksha” (Cow protection) and “Love Jihad”.
The `Sadhvi’, who is no stranger to making provocative speeches against ‘meat eaters’, has been booked for exhorting Hindus to carry swords to slay ‘love jihadis’ and those who slaughter cows.
In the name of protecting Hinduism, Saffron terrorists have unleashed violence in several parts of India. Increasing incidents of ‘mob lynching’ and the silence of the Modi government have encouraged more hate groups and terrorists who have struck fear into the hearts of Muslims and lower-caste Indians.
Read more: BJP leader tells Muslims in India to flee to Pakistan
On account of the brutal killings of Muslims – from Mohammed Akhlaq (on September 28th, 2015) to Ahmed Bashir (on January 8th, 2018) – the minority community feels insecurity in every part of the country. The roots of this hate lie in the rise of extremist Hindutva thought and the machinations of the British colonial masters.
Syncretic tendencies were somewhat reduced before the imposition of British power in the mid-18th century. Furthermore, British rule emphasized the distinctions between Hindu and Muslim and did not encourage efforts to harmonize the two religions. Most Hindutva extremists spread Islamophobia by linking the Muslim minority of India with India’s archenemy Pakistan. This helps them to polarize society and convert animosity into votes and popular support.