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.
https://twitter.com/ShyamMeeraSingh/status/1473563519261892610?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1473563519261892610%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.atheistrepublic.com%2Fnews%2Fhindu-nationalists-echo-nazis-violent-oath-make-india-hindu-nation
- ShyamMeeraSingh
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.
https://twitter.com/QIAtheist/status/1473886959080652803?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1473886959080652803%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.atheistrepublic.com%2Fnews%2Fhindu-nationalists-echo-nazis-violent-oath-make-india-hindu-nation
- QIAtheist
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.”
https://twitter.com/HindutvaWatchIn/status/1473693520158412812?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1473693520158412812%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.atheistrepublic.com%2Fnews%2Fhindu-nationalists-echo-nazis-violent-oath-make-india-hindu-nation
- HindutvaWatchIn
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.”
https://twitter.com/QIAtheist/status/1473914824719421442?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1473914824719421442%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.atheistrepublic.com%2Fnews%2Fhindu-nationalists-echo-nazis-violent-oath-make-india-hindu-nation
- QIAtheist
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.
Disclaimer: This article was previously published on Atheist Republic blog.