By Abdulla Gaafarelkhalifa
On December 21, 2021, several videos surfaced showing several prominent Indian figures, including a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, calling for citizens to attack Muslims. The calls for violence originate at two separate events in Delhi and Haridwar on December 17 and 19.
योगी आदित्यनाथ के संगठन हिंदू युवा वाहिनी के इस प्रोग्राम में “हिंदू राष्ट्र” बनाने के लिए हत्या करने की शपथ ली गई. और मुख्य अतिथि के रूप में कोई और नहीं बल्कि उत्तर प्रदेश सरकार के राज्य मंत्री राजेश्वर सिंह मौजूद थे.pic.twitter.com/Hlm4u2UqUy
— Shyam Meera Singh (@ShyamMeeraSingh) December 22, 2021
In one video, Suresh Chavhanke, the editor-in-chief of Sudarshan News, can be found performing an oath that goes “We take an oath and make a resolution that till our last breath, we shall fight, die for and if need be, kill, to make this country a Hindu rashtra [nation].”
Dharamdas Maharaj, a Hindu extremist leader, is also seen making ethnic purity based claims. “In India, 80% of the people Hindu and still India is becoming Islamic” he says during his time behind the podium. Over a minute later he fancied the idea of shooting the former Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, with a revolver for supposedly making India a friendlier place for Muslims.
Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, the head priest of the Dasna Devi Temple, is seen in the video below urging Hindus to produce more children to counter the Muslim population.
Asking for people in an already overpopulated country to populate it even more
Peaceful tolerant people of a peaceful tolerant religion asking followers to pick up the "best of weapons" https://t.co/fiQYJAmpUs— Queer Indian Atheist (@QIAtheist) December 23, 2021
One of the more chilling speeches came from Annapurna Maa, Secretary of Hindu Mahasabha, which is a right-wing political party. She galvanized the crowd by making statements like their hands “are the claws of lions.” She encouraged them to buy any weapon they can because, in her own words, “If we become soldiers and kill 2 million Muslims then we’ll be victorious.”
[English Captions] -- This video is from a Hindu rightwing event in Uttarakhand
Annapurna Maa, Secretary of Hindu Mahasabha calls on Hindus to buy weapons & prepare for anti-Muslim genocide.
“If we become soldiers & kill 2 million Muslims then we’ll be victorious," Maa said. pic.twitter.com/v8mu2K8DEV— HindutvaWatch (@HindutvaWatchIn) December 22, 2021
These events were not just eccentric with the words spoken behind the podium, but the activities they had for children in those events as well. Below is a video of children being taught how to use bladed weapons to “kill the sinful.”
They look like kids and youth
Demonstrating mastery in weapons to kill the sinful
The word they use is "adharmi" which would mean anyone not following the dharma
Even though they are trying to mask it as "evil", adharmi would mean non-Hindus in general pic.twitter.com/KZuNsjmkFH— Queer Indian Atheist (@QIAtheist) December 23, 2021
The events also had BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay, who had been arrested in August due to inflammatory slogans, calling for violence against Muslims, shouted at a rally in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. He presented a “saffron” (color associated greatly with Hinduism) constitution at the event.
