Nuh & after: ‘Godhra was just a trailer,’ say Hindutva leaders in Delhi, Punjab; cops stop Jantar Mantar meet midway

After the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal announced nationwide protests against the communal clashes in Nuh, Haryana, Right Wing outfits such as United Hindu Front, Hindu Mahasabha, All India Sanatan Foundation and Hindu Sena followed suit and organised ‘rosh pradarshan’ and ‘mahapanchayats’ in several states.

On August 18, Alt News reported on nine such meetings where hate speech against Muslims and open calls for violence filled the air. This report documents and analyses a few more instances of such protest rallies and demonstrations — in Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana and Jharkhand — constituting divisive and provocative speeches and slogans.

The participants of these protest rallies and meetings indulged in hate speech and raised provocative slogans including open calls for violence against Muslims and their economic boycott, on several occasions in the presence of police. The ‘Goli Maro Saalon Ko’ slogan made popular by BJP leader Anurag Thakur was used in almost each one of the meets. In Fazilka, Punjab, VHP leader Paras Bishnoi said Muslims should not forget Godhra, it was just a trailer. A similar line was repeated by a demonstrator in Karol Bagh, at the heart of the national capital. In Shahdara, BJP leader Jai Bhagwan Goyal said the time had come for Jihadis to be slayed; not far from there, in Nazafgarh on the outskirts of Delhi, people were reminded that if they saw a mad dog, they should shoot it. In Kurukshetra, Haryana, a protester said he was ready to personally take the responsibility to hang every pig (referring to Muslims) in full public display.

Hindu Mahapanchayat at Jantar Mantar, Delhi

After the huge turnout at the Hindu Mahapanchayat held in Pondri village in Palwal, Haryana on August 11, Hindutva outfits — All India Sanatan Foundation and Hindu Sena — announced that a similar Mahapanchayat would be held at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, on August 20. At the August 11 Hindu Mahapanchayat, many speakers issued open threats despite a ‘no hate speech’ policy and police presence. However, the Mahapanchayat held on August 20 at Jantar Mantar, Delhi was stopped midway by the police after some of the speakers gave “inflammatory speeches” against a community despite prohibitions.

Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, controversial Hindu leader and head of the Dasna Devi temple in Uttar Pradesh, who has been accused of delivering hate speech against minority communities several times in the past, was one of the speakers at the Delhi Mahapanchayat. He delivered a speech wherein he said that Hindus were victims who were being continually wronged, especially, by the Muslim community, because of their religious identity.

Speaking about police action in Nuh, he said that the police detained Hindus while they were themselves being attacked by ‘Islamic Jihadis’. In the above video, at the 0:29 mark, he could be heard saying, “The most notable thing about what happened in Nuh is that the police that was attacked by ‘Islamic Jihadis’, only kept arresting Hindus. The whole world witnessed how Hindus were wronged in there (Nuh) and that too when? When the government is ours, today the administration and the police all are Hindus, everything is in favour of Hindus, yet this is happening to us. At this rate, by 2029 we will have a Muslim Prime Minister because today Hindu families don’t even produce two kids.” He added, “(1:50) If we Hindus say something, reports are filed against us, we are sent to jail as well and if needed, our heads are also chopped off. But the ones who want to kill us, the ones who are killing everyone around the world, they are referred to as ‘peace-loving’ in this country“.

He also advised Hindus to decide which ocean they would jump into as no land is left for them anymore and they are not willing to fight — a belief reiterated by many who took part in these protest rallies. He also mentioned that if the Hindus didn’t want to run and hide and instead want to survive here only then they would have to “copy the ‘jihadis’”. “(2:43)… if your population keeps depleting like this and the Muslim population keeps increasing, then whatever happened to the Hindus in this country’s history for 1000 years, in Kashmir, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Arab — that’s going to repeat itself. … (3:14) (Hindus) ran and escaped from everywhere and kept hiding here and now there’s no land left for them to escape to, only oceans are left. So, decide which ocean you want to jump into and die … since you can’t fight. Either way one day everyone’s going to have to give up their sisters and daughters to Muslims and die … (3:46) but if you want to save yourself from this, you’ll have to start copying these ‘jihadis’ in every way. If you don’t copy them then you won’t be alive.” After this point, it can be seen in the video that Yati Narsighanand was escorted out of the demonstration area. As per Indian Express, the Delhi police intervened when he was completing his speech and urged him to stop.

As the final speaker, Vishnu Gupta, national president of Hindu Sena, took the stage and delivered his speech, after a few minutes the Delhi police entered the demonstration area and asked everyone to wrap up the Mahapanchayat.

Before the police intervened, Gupta made comments like calling the Muslim-populated Mewat area a “home to terrorism and jihad” and, that most cybercrime and robbery cases were from Mewat. He also demanded a CRPF camp in Mewat as soon as possible to “tackle the ‘jihadis’”. Before being stopped by Delhi police, he could be heard saying, “(1:52) This country’s partition was done on the basis of religion. But I consider this partition to be incomplete. As long as even one Muslim is staying in this country, the partition is incomplete.”

Intervening at this point, additional DCP (New Delhi) Hemant Tiwari said, “(2:34) The organisers were asked to not target or talk against any community. Even after we flagged it to you multiple times, you didn’t listen to us. Hence, this mahapanchayat is over. Please leave.”

On August 22, Delhi police registered a case under section 188 (deliberate disobedience of an order given by a public servant empowered by law to do so) against the organizers of the Mahapanchayat — All India Sanatan Foundation — for violating the terms on which they were allowed to hold the demonstration. The case was registered after the legal experts said that they did not find any content of Hate Speech while reviewing the matter and advised the police to file an FIR under section 188 of IPC.

Shahdara Chowk, New Delhi: “Time for Jihadis to be Slayed”

A protest rally was held in the Shahdara Chowk area of New Delhi on August 3 by the United Hindu Front led by its international working president, BJP leader Jai Bhagwan Goyal. Goyal was also present at the Mahapanchayat at Jantar Mantar. At this rally, slogans like — “We won’t let Nuh become a mini-Pakistan”, “We won’t let India become Ghazwa-e-Hind”, “Hang the rioters of Nuh” and “Jai Hindu Rashtra” — were raised. The protesters could also be seen holding posters that said the same.

Jai Bhagwan Goyal said in his speech, “Nuh has become a mini-Pakistan and a den of Jihadis. It is a den for those who take away our sisters and daughters for the purpose of Love Jihad, for those who commit cyber crimes and for manufacturing addictive drugs. Whenever the police officials go there, they are attacked”. While mentioning journalist Shaheen Abdullah, he referred to him as a ‘Jihadi’ who stopped Hindu organisations from holding such demonstrations. Goyal could also be heard urging all the state governments to take “bulldozer action” against the “Jihadis” just like Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath. He also stated, “(8:28) We are going through the period of Adhik maah, Lord Vishnu created this period to slay the demons, I think all these asuras, demons, jihadis — in the form of Bangladeshi, Rohingya, PFI — who are active again, their Adhik maah is here as well. (10:13) … Now the time has come for these terrorists, Islamic Jihadis to be slayed and our Bharat will be free from them.”

Karol Bagh, Delhi: “You Must Know about Godhra…”

In a protest demonstration held at Karol Bagh, Delhi on August 3, led by Bajrang Dal, the protesters issued open threats to the Muslim community. They were also seen giving bytes to some media outlets. At the beginning of the video attached above, one of the protesters can be heard saying, “The Hindus should be given permission to complete the yatra and this time the administration should be more vigilant. If they can’t do anything, then VHP and Bajrang Dal will take the matter into their own hands”

One of the demonstrators could be heard saying, “(1:48) Through this demonstration in Karol Bagh today, I want to remind the unrighteous ones in Mewat that you might be in the majority in the Mewat area … (2:11) but Hindus comprise 80% of the entire nation. If all the Hindus of Bharat come down to the streets with a similar mentality like yours — the plight of the country is far away, what is going to be your plight, think about it.” Another demonstrator said that they (the Hindu community) will not step down after this attack on them, the yatra will be organised again through the same route and this time it will be bigger with more participants.

While speaking to media outlet Molitics, the demonstrator who issued an open threat to the Muslim community reminding them they are in the minority, reiterated his views. When asked if Hindus are in danger today, he responded, “(6:36) Hindus are in danger as long as they are silent. When Hindus rise, as you can see what Hindus can do (referring to the protest rally) … (6:51) You must know about Godhra, I don’t need to tell you, you already know, that’s it…” Another protester said, “(9:18) Just supporting a particular political party won’t help, we need to support leadership. Like if today Yogi was the CM in Mewat then do you think something like this could’ve happened there?”

Najafgarh, Delhi: ‘See a Mad Dog? Shoot It”

On August 2, at Najafgarh in Delhi, Bajrang Dal organised a protest demonstration where some members of the Hindutva outfit delivered speeches. One of the lead demonstrators could be heard saying in the video attached below, “(1:50) If someone commits any such ‘jihadi’ acts in front of us if needed, we will teach them a lesson”.

When another speaker was delivering his speech, in the background the slogan: Desh ke gaddaro ko goli maaro salon ko (Shoot the traitors of the nation), could be heard, followed by chants of, “Jai Sri Ram”. One of the demonstrators told the participants of the rally to forget about ‘ahinsa parmo dharam’ (Non-violence is my ultimate duty) for some time. “(7:07) If a mad dog was in front of you what would you do? — Shoot it. If terrorists become like lions, won’t you kill them?” A 25-minute livestream of the protest rally can be found here, it can be seen in the video that the police personnel were present at the location of the rally.

Fazilka, Punjab: “Godhra was Just a Trailer, Don’t Forget”

A Bajrang Dal led protest rally was organised at Fazilka in Punjab on August 2. The rally was covered by some local media outlets, where the demonstrators could be seen walking with a poster of ‘rosh pradrashan’ and burning an effigy. One of the demonstrators who was leading the slogan chants shouted — Desh ke gaddaro ko (traitors of the country) — to which a few from the crowd followed up with — joote maaro saalon ko (hit them with shoes), while a few others chanted — goli maaro saalon ko (shoot them).

After two speakers, VHP leader Paras Bishnoi addressed the participants of the rally. While talking about Monu Manesar, he justified the murders of Junaid and Nasir, of which Monu Manesar is an accused. He also issued open threats to Muslims highlighting what happened in Godhra. Police personnel can be seen in the video standing in the vicinity.

Bishnoi said, “The entire blame of the clashes in Mewat, you must have seen, is being put upon Sonu Manesar and Bittu Bajrangi. So, let me tell you something, Sonu didn’t even go to that yatra, we all saw his video. Another thing to be noted is that — it is being heard that Sonu had previously killed Junaid and Nasir there (Nuh) by burning them to death. Should we instead embrace a Muslim who cuts cows? (Arey jo mulla gaaye ko kaatega usko gale lagayenge kya?)… (0:43) When it comes down to our gau mata, our scriptures and spiritual leaders, then not just burning someone, if required, we would cut them too (Jab hamare gaaye maata ki baat aati hain, jab hamare dharm grantho ki, hamare rishi muniyon, sadhu santo ki baat aati hain tab kisiko jalana kya kaatna bhi padega kaatenge)… (1:00) I want to tell you all something if there’s ever an on-ground fight (Hindus vs. Muslims) they (Muslims) won’t last. We showed them a trailer at Godhra, it shouldn’t be forgotten”. He then goes on to talk about the train burning at Godhra station in Gujarat, in 2002 and that the Muslim community should keep in mind what were the consequences of it. He also mentioned Manipur and said wherever Hindus are in the minority things like this will happen, if Hindus are the majority everywhere then it’s the best for every community.

Narwana, Haryana: “Goli Maaro Salon Ko”

On August 4, a protest rally followed by a meeting was organised by Bajrang Dal in Narwana of Haryana. The protesters walked from Sanatan Dharam Mandir to the sub-divisional magistrate’s office of Narwana. The rally was held amidst heavy police presence. We accessed the hour-long footage of the rally where slogans like — Nuh ke hatyaro ko phansi do (Hang the killers of Nuh), Nuh ke jihadiyon ko goli maaro salon ko (Shoot the killers from Nuh), Police ke hatyaro ko phansi do (Hang the killers of police), Jai Sri Ram, Hindu Rashtra Zindabad (long live Hindu nation) — were raised.

A short meeting was then held at the SDM office where some Hindu leaders addressed the protesters after a round of hateful sloganeering — Mewat ke hatyaro ko goli maaro saalon ko (Shoot the traitors of Mewat) and Mewat ke jihadiyon ko phansi do (Hang the Jihadis in Mewat).

One of the speakers was heard saying, “… (1:24) we lost seven of our people, seven martyrs. Not just in Narwana, there’s fury in the entire Hindustan today. Our message and sentiments should reach the government so that in future, while practising our right to worship, our protection is ensured from traitors (deshdrohi), Rohingyas, and people who are fans of Pakistan, strict actions must be taken against them.” He adds, “Agar hamari maango ka gambhirta se vichaar nahi kiya gaya toh hum ‘eent se eent baja denge’ (a Hindi idiom which means ‘destroying everything’) chahe hamare saamne koi bhi aa jaye”. (If our wishes are not considered seriously then we will shake the foundation no matter who stands in front of us).

Kurukshetra, Haryana: “Every Pig Will Be Hanged'”

Amidst heavy police presence, a protest rally, where a bulldozer was also deployed, was organised by several Hindutva outfits on August 2 at Mohan Nagar Chowk in Kurukshetra, Haryana. Clips from the rally show the demonstrators urging for “bulldozer action” in the state after the communal clashes, a few protesters can also be seen riding in front of the bulldozer.

They raised slogans like: “Desh ke gaddaro ko goli maaro salon ko” (Shoot the traitors of the country), “Nuh, Mewat ke mullo ko, goli maaro saalon ko” (Shoot the Muslims of Mewat and Nuh), “Mulla ka na Qazi ka ye desh hain veer Shivaji ka ” (This country doesn’t belong to a Muslim or Qazi, it is of the brave Shivaji’s), “Jab Mulla Kaata Jayega, Ram Ram Chillayega” (When Muslims get chopped, they will shout Ram Ram) and “Tel Lagake Dabur ka, Naam Mita do Babar ka” (Apply Dabur oil and get rid of Babar’s name) — a slogan popularized by Hindu Raksha Dal leader Pinky Chaudhary who also had taken responsibility for the attack on JNU campus in 2020. The demonstrators also expressed their displeasure about the way the administration, the police and the chief minister had acted on the day of the clashes and are handling the matter.

One of the demonstrators issued an open threat of taking the matter into their hands if the administration and the police don’t get the job done, he said: “(3:07) Main Kurukshetra prasashan ko ye chunauti de raha hu. Agar yaha se Mulle na bhagaye gaye, 2 din ka ultimatum dete hain police, prasashan ko, toh hum bhagayenge.” (I am challenging the Kurukshetra administration. If Muslims are not sent away from Kurukshetra, this is an ultimatum for the police and the administration whom we are giving two days, we will be sending them away).

The same demonstrator gave a byte to the media: “Haryana requires bulldozer action just like under Yogi Adityanath’s administration, even if a small incident occurs in Uttar Pradesh the bulldozer does not wait for anyone.” Others also expressed similar views.

Since the protesters were unhappy with chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar who, they believed, had failed to protect the Hindus, they raised slogans calling him “Khattar Mulla” followed by a “murdabad” (down with Khattar Mulla). In the first video, while talking to a media outlet, a person present in the demonstration area said, “(6:32) Make me the CM for 24 hours. If I find even one pig, it will be hanged live (executed in public display) in the middle of the Chowk. I take the entire responsibility”. Towards the end of the clip we accessed, the protesters can be heard chanting: Pukaarti maa bharti, khoon se tilak karo, goliyon se aarti — lyrics from a song about patriotism (Translation: Mother India is calling, smear your forehead with blood and use bullets to worship).

Pali Marwar, Rajasthan: “Desh Ke Gaddaro Ko…”

In Pali Marwar of Rajasthan, members of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal organised a protest rally on August 4. During the course of the rally, the protesters burnt an effigy in the name of ‘Islamic Jihad’ and raised provocative slogans.

The hateful slogan directed towards the Muslim community in India — Desh ke gaddaro ko goli maaro salon ko — was raised multiple times. Speaking to a media outlet, one of the demonstrators said, “It is our strong demand that the government should not do appeasement”.

Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh: ‘Will Dig Graves for Jihadis…”

On August 3, in Khandwa of Madhya Pradesh a similar protest rally was organised by Bajrang Dal. The protesters raised slogans like: “Desh ke gaddaro ko goli maaro salon ko” (Shoot the traitors of the nation) and “Jihadiyon ki kabar khudegi Khandwa ki dharti par” (Graves of ‘jihadis’ will be dug in Khandwa). They also burnt an effigy of ‘Jihadi Terrorism’. The demonstrations were held in the presence of police personnel.

Later in a byte to a media outlet, Bajrang Dal leader Aditya Mehta said, “(1:50) Today, this was a protest rally organised against the jihadi attack on Hindus and the police officers in Mewat … (2:43) in the near future the yatra will be organised again and if the same incident occurs again, then the Hindu community of the entire country will be ready to pay back, including interest”.

Ranchi, Jharkhand: “Fight Them through Economic Boycott”

In Thakurgaon of Ranchi in Jharkhand, a well-known Hindutva leader and history-sheeter in the state, Bhairo (Bhairav) Singh delivered a speech. He was also accused of killing a Muslim boy in 2022 but later was given a clean chit. Bhairav Singh addressed the people at a remembrance event where prayers were being offered to the Hindus who lost their lives during clashes at Nuh. He called the ones who believed in secularism to be ‘napunsaks’, a gender-based derogatory term, and called for a total boycott against the Muslim community.

He could be heard saying — “Women were attacked in Mewat, they called their families crying as they felt they’d die soon. They told their families that these people are raping them, you will find 1000 videos on Youtube about it. Still, there will be some people wearing a cap of secularism, see there’s either ‘dharm’ or ‘adharm’. Like it is either man or woman, those in the middle are napunsak (impotent/eunuch).”

He narrates a story to his audience involving ‘Love Jihad’ where the woman was apparently burned alive. He asked the audience what they have done after hearing such news. He said, “(0:26) Everyone has heard but no one did anything about it … (0:50) how many here consider themselves to be ‘Hindu sher’ (Hindu lions)? Everyone is ready to call themselves a lion but won’t hunt. No one is ready to fight for their dharm. I am not asking you fight physically, that can lead to FIR and arrests, your brother Bhairav Singh is here to go to jail. But there’s one very powerful fight we can fight — Boycott … How to do it? Do not buy anything from them (Muslims), ride on a tempo only if you see a Hindu god’s picture … maintain a distance from them — don’t buy anything from them, don’t sell anything to them.”

Supreme Court on Hate Speech: Lodge Suo Motu FIRs

On April 28, 2023, the Supreme Court had directed States to suo motu register FIRs on hate speech incidents and proceed against offenders without waiting for someone to lodge a complaint. A Bench of Justices K M Joseph and B V Nagarathna said the court’s order would apply to anyone indulging in hate speech, irrespective of their religion. The Bench also pointed out the IPC Sections under which cases can be lodged against hate speech makers. These are Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on the ground of religion), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 505 (public mischief), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings). The court also said that any hesitation on the part of police officers to abide by the order would be viewed as contempt.

A month prior to that, the same Bench had observed that abjuring hate speech was a fundamental requisite for maintenance of communal harmony in the country. The Hindu reported, “Holding that the Constitution envisages India as a secular nation, the top court on October 21 last year had directed the Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments to come down hard on cases of hate speech, and registering criminal cases against culprits without waiting for a complaint to be filed.”