Leaders of several far-right Hindu groups have called for genocide of minorities in India, particularly the country’s 200 million Muslim community.
A three-day ‘hate speech conclave’ was organized by the controversial Hindutva leader Yati Narsinghanand from December 17 to 19 in Haridwar city of India’s Uttarakhand state
At the summit Hindutva leaders with some of them affiliated with the ruling BJP party made calls to kill minorities and attack their religious spaces, sparking widespread outrage and calls for action against them.
“Economic boycott won’t work. Hindu groups need to update themselves. Swords look good on stage only. This battle against Muslims will be won by those with better weapons,” Narsinghanand said at the gathering.
Another speaker Sadhvi Annapurna, general secretary of the Hindu Mahasabha [Hindu Grand Assembly], called for the ethnic cleansing of Muslims living in the country.
Nothing is possible without weapons. If you want to eliminate their population then kill them. Be ready to kill and be ready to go to jail. Even if 100 of us are ready to kill 20 lakhs [two million] of them [Muslims], then we will be victorious, and go to jail,” Annapurna said.
The Wire said the summit witnessed an “extraordinary quantity of hate speech, mobilisations to violence and anti-Muslim sentiment”.
According to a police complaint filed by Trinamool Congress leader and RTI activist Saket Gokhale, others associated with the gathering are Hindu Raksha Sena’s Prabodhanand Giri, BJP women’s wing leader Udita Tyagi and BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay, who is out on bail in hate speech case.
“Like Myanmar, our police, our politicians, our Army and every Hindu must pick up weapons and conduct a Safayi Abhiyan (ethnic cleansing). There is no other option left,” Prabodhanand Giri was quoted as saying.
Speaking to NDTV, Prabodhanand was nonchalant. “I am not ashamed of what I have said. I am not afraid of police. I stand by my statement,” he said.
“There is a difference between your thinking and mine. Read the Constitution. My comments were not inflammatory at all. If anyone tries to kill me, I will fight back. I am not afraid of the law,” he declared.
The seer flaunted his links with the BJP. He has often been photographed with BJP leaders, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
In a recent photo, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami is seen touching his feet.
