Islamophobic slogans calling for killing of Muslims were shouted at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Sunday in a gathering of hundreds organised by Supreme Court lawyer and former spokesperson of the Delhi unit of Bharatiya Janata Party Ashwini Upadhyay.
The videos of the event showed Hindutva extremists shouting slogans threatening harm to Muslims, India’s largest religious minority group.
BJP leader Gajendra Chauhan was among the participants.
“Jab mulle kaate jayenge, Ram-Ram chillayenge [Muslims will chant Ram-Ram when they will be slaughtered],” slogans were shouted during the event.
According to Indian Express, the organisers ‘Bharat Jodo Movement’ had not taken permission for the event, the Delhi Police said. “there were 5,000 people…,” Indian Express quotes Shipra Srivastava, media in charge of Bharat Jodo Movement, a Hindu nationalist fringe group who conducted the event. Those who attended the event also flouted coronavirus guidelines as they neither wore masks nor maintained physical distancing norms.
Videos show the organisers distributing posters carrying for the murder of Muslims. “Hindu groups always protest against Muslims which shows their cowardice. They stay within constitutional and legal limits. This is possibly because Hindus are not capable of committing genocide,” said one poster titled “Islam Ka Vinaash” (Annihilation of Isam), reported Clarion.
Anil Chaudhary, Congress’s Delhi unit president has urged CM Arvind Kejriwal to immediately file FIR against Ashwini Upadhyay and others for spewing venom against Muslims. He questioned the silence of CM over hate speechs and anti-Muslim gatherings.
“The evidence is out here, don’t hesitate to take action now,” Okhla MLA and Aam Aadmi Party leader Amanatullah Khan tweeted.
This was the second incident in the past week where slogans calling for violence against Muslims were shouted in the national capital.
On Friday, Bharatiya Janata Party and other local Hindutva groups held an anti-Muslim Mahapanchayat, at Bharthal Chowk in New Delhi’s Dwarka against the construction of Haj House in Sector 22 of the area. Videos from the Islamophobic event show the hundreds of Hindutva activists making anti-Muslim comments and calling for violence if the Haj House is built.
Videos of Friday’s event showed Hinduta activists chanting “Jai Shri Ram” and “Vande Mataram” during a rally. They also shouted slogans such as: “Ye bhumi hamaari hai, iska faisla hum karenge (This is our land and we will decide its fate).”
