Amidst escalating hate events, CJP persists with multi-layered anti-hate efforts Brazen attempts to provoke people with hate speech have intensified since December 2022, and CJP has responded by adjusting and fine-tuning its responses at various levels.
22, Mar 2023 | CJP Team
Today marks the start of a new year for Hindus across the country. The festival has varied names across regions, like Gudi Padwa, Ugadi, Vishu, Bihu, Bikhoti, Navreh, Baisakhi and so on. It also marks the beginning of the month of Ramadan for the Muslim community. For Christians we are in the midst of Lent, the 40 day period of fasting and renunciation that commenced this year from February 22 April 6 culminating in Easter Sunday on April 9.
Everyone begins their new year with a new hope that the year brings prosperity for themselves and their families. CJP also hopes this year is prosperous for human kind in general, Hindus, Muslims. Christians, Dalits, Adivasis alike. We strive to intensify efforts at building counter narratives, mobilisations and communications while meticulously monitoring and calling out the hate-mongers with careful documentation. We hope with the onset of the pious and festive season, that there is less hate and more love, lesser sense of foreboding and more of joyful anticipation. While we keep our hopes up for a better tomorrow, that tomorrow seems a bit afar. Yet, the hope is that the persistent and endless efforts of CJP, and countless other individuals and organisations will eventually put a stop to hate. We hope to bear the fruits of communal harmony soon. Hate Hurts Harmony Works after all.
CJP is dedicated to finding and bringing to light instances of Hate Speech, so that the bigots propagating these venomous ideas can be unmasked and brought to justice. To learn more about our campaign against hate speech, please become a member. To support our initiatives, please donate now!
Our Hate Watch campaign has always included a) persistent and tireless tracking of hate crimes by our team (monitoring), b) representing this meticulous documentation of the already concluded or forthcoming hate events of the extremist Right wing groups where hate speeches are delivered or tridents (and other arms) are distributed c) intimation and pre-emotive complaints to concerned authorities about such proposed meets urging preventive action, d) reportage on hate crimes and e) assiduous, legally documented follow ups with the authorities to ensure prosecution of the criminal offences in these cases.
Many affiliates of political formations claiming to be “fringe” elements have emerged over the past few months, often these host the same hate offenders and are just “old wine in newly created bottles!” They have gone all out to stigmatise minorities, spread provocative, extremist and violent impulses among the majority claiming that a secular country like India is actually a ‘Hindu nation’. Their sinister motive and attempts to invade and impinge upon personal autonomy, not just of women but all those who are depressed in the social order (Dalits and Adivasis) has also been laid bare.
CJP’s Hate Watch campaign is not only about the religious minorities, who are being pushed to the brink of marginalisation but also the imposed hegemony of the dominant castes over Dalits and the oppression of the Adivasis at the hands of authorities and the gender discrimination and gendered violence against women and the LGTBTQIA+ community as well.
It may appear that this atmosphere of hate is targeted solely towards the religious minority but in actuality these efforts come with a comprehensive political design: it is aimed at a complete subversion of the current constitutional social order and the formal transformation of Indian state and society to pre-existing oppressive caste hierarchical (Manusmriti) like status.
Just three months into this year, 2023 and CJP’s efforts against Hate have magnified. What keeps us going is that our efforts bear fruit. The television shows of hate mongering hosted at News18 India, Aman Chopra, were pulled up by the NBDSA and penalized for the hate factory they have been running. The channel has been fined for two such telecasts.
While right wing groups like Sakal Hindu Samaj and Hindu Janajagruti Sabha have kept on, unchecked by the current regime, organising their gatherings calling speakers well known for their hateful diatribe on various platforms, CJP has not dithered in alerting authorities, including SPs, local police with constant follow ups. The police and district administration has unfortunately allowed all such events unchecked and the post-event prosecution/actions have not inspired much confidence.
Another more seasoned outfit, the Hindu Janajagruti Sabha (HJS), with a controversially chequered history, even organized several ‘Gudhi Pujan’ events in various places in Pune, Sangli, Sindhudurg districts of Maharashtra to commemorate the New Year. Given the speakers generally invited and patronised by HJS, all with a history of hate-letting, and also given the dark history of the 2022 Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti celebrations, which were misused by similar outfits to provoke violence (in fact in April May 2022, there was loss of life, destruction of homes and overall disturbance of peace by such processions), this year, CJP redoubled its efforts to urge caution. Hence we started a process of intimating district and local police authorities to remain vigilant in order to prevent any such law and order situation from arising.
There has been a deafening silence from the political class in general however and a near zero response from the ruling dispensation. Stray statements by some leaders in the opposition have been the only response to this spiral of hate crimes. One minister for woman and child welfare in the Maharashtra state cabinet, Mangal Prabhat Lodha has, in fact joined the ranks of the hate mongers despite being bound to his constitutional oath, and exaggerated beyond measure the number of inter-community marriages! Claiming these to be in the realm of one hundred thousand, he has been called out as the controversial committee set up by his government to monitor/probe such marriages had not received any complaint so far!
Mass organisations like the All-India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), All India Democratic Womens Association (AIDWA) and CITU (Centre of Indian Trade Union) have brought out statements and pamphlets calling out the hate, however.
As far as the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are concerned however, it appears that these hate mongers have been given a free hand to do as they please and enjoy an impunity from legal action. No preventive action has been taken in over two dozen cases, despite their history of delivering vile, vitriolic hate speeches inciting hatred and violence against the Muslim and Christian minority and despite the Supreme Court’s strict orders [October 21, 2022 and February 3, 2023] to take preventive action whenever deemed necessary.
When the Sakal Hindu Samaj meet of Mumbai held on January 30, was mentioned before the bench of Justice KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna, in an ongoing case, the Supreme Court was of the opinion that it cannot be the first recourse in such matter and was exasperated about dealing with every hate event. It is naturally the job of the law enforcement agencies to put a stop to these unlawful assemblies as is their prerogative and mandate under penal laws, especially the Code of Criminal Procedure as well as the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Respecting the Supreme Court’s point of view, we diligently followed up and alerted police authorities about these proposed events, consistently over the past 2 months. Yet, preventive action has been lagging and there is clear hesitance from the police to take action against these right wing groups. Preventive action aside, once the hate speech is delivered, stringent and comprehensive penal action is also found to be lacking. In very few cases, even if an FIR does get filed, no arrests have ever been made. Certainly the police are aware of the notoriety of the bigwigs of the Indian hate factory like BJP MLA T Raja Singh and the infamous Sudarshan TV news Editor Suresh Chavhanke. They are both repeat offenders. Yet, absolutely no action has been taken against either of them for consistently delivering hate speeches, most recently in Maharashtra.
CJP is redoubling its efforts, allied with other individuals and groups to call out the hate, develop counter narratives and counter communication. Hate in the public sphere has the debilitating impact of cording the discourse and allowing marginalised sections to be prone to stigmatising, boycott and even violence.
It is crucial therefore that Mumbaikars and Maharashtrians rise to the occasion, step out of their cocoons and act. For combating hate it’sall hands are on deck! This monster that has the capacity to devour must be stopped. Now.
Related:
Rising Intolerance in Maharashtra: 2 Muslim boys arrested for putting a status on Aurangzeb
Rising Instances of Hate-speech, Hate Crimes in Rajasthan condemned: PWA, Delhi
