Hate speech against Muslims by radical groups Hindu from India drew public criticism. Previously, a Hindu resident was recorded voicing a statement threatening Muslims.
“If 100 of us become soldiers and prepare to kill two million (Muslims), then we will win, protect India and make it a Hindu nation,” Pooja Shakun Pandey, a member of the far-right Hindu Mahasabha party, said in a video of the event. conference in Haridwar, Uttarakhand state, last month.
The appearance of this video has drawn outrage from the public. Some people consider the Indian government’s response to be slow in dealing with the problem of hate speech.
A woman activist and co-founder of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan group, Zakia Soman, said that the failure of the Indian government had caused right-wing extremist groups to increase.
“Our community made us realize, we have become second class citizens in our own country,” said Soman.
“Batting and hatred of minorities has become commonplace and normal. As the intensity increases, the poison and violence in their language also rises,” he continued.
According to lawyer Vrinda Grover, incitement to violence is prohibited under Indian law.
“Police, states and governments have a responsibility to keep (incitement to violence) from happening. But the states, through their inaction, are actually allowing groups like this to move, while endangering the Muslim community they are targeting,” Grover said.
A Muslim student in New Delhi, who asked not to be identified, said many Muslims feel threatened when India’s Hindu right-wing groups use hate speech.
“It made us feel we didn’t deserve to be there,” he said.
CNN have contacted India’s Ministry of Minority Affairs, Mahasabha Hindu and Pandey, but have not received a response.
Analysts say that the courage of this extremist group arises because the government’s efforts to handle it are still lacking. This situation has the potential to bring danger to minority groups, especially Muslims in India.
“That’s what makes the Hindu Mahasabha dangerous,” said Gilles Verniers, an assistant professor of political science at Ashoka University.
“(They) have been waiting for this moment for decades,” he continued. He also considered that Pandey’s statement containing violence was the worst form of hate speech.
(pwn / bac)
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