Hindu organisation names hate speech makers in Supreme Court

NEW DELHI: Days after the Supreme Court ordered the Maharashtra government to ensure that no hate speech was made at ‘Hindu Jan Akrosh Morcha’ at Mumbai, a Hindu organisation has moved the SC with a compilation of scores of incidents of hate speeches by Muslim and Christian community leaders and sought similar action against them.

A bench headed by Justice K M Joseph had directed the Maharashtra government to ensure that no hate speeches were made at the rally and to video-graph the proceedings to take to task anyone indulging in hate speech. When solicitor general Tushar Mehta had on February 4 said that the petitioner was from Kerala and would not know what is happening in Mumbai, Justice Joseph had said anyone can come to the court (on this issue).

Spurred by the SC’s proactive stance to root out hate speech in the country, a Lucknow-based NGO ‘Hindu Front for Justice’ led by Ranjana Agnihotri has moved a plea for similar directions for protection of Hindus from the constant hate speeches from the Muslim and Christian communities.

The plea filed through advocate Vishnu Jain gave details of eight processions taken out by Muslims at various places in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat giving ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ (beheading) calls openly to terrorize the Hindu community.

Recently, the SC had pulled up Delhi police for the delay in investigating into the FIRs lodged against those who had delivered alleged hate speeches at a Dharam Sansad organized at Delhi in December 2021 and ordered it to complete the probe and file chargesheet expeditiously.

The fresh plea annexed evidence of recent hate speeches made by Bihar education minister Chandrashekhar Yadav against Ramcharit Manas and the virulent hate speeches inciting violence against Hindus delivered in the last two years by Peerzada Taha Siddiqui of Furfura Sharif, Hooghly, West Bengal; Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan; Asaduddin Owaisi; Maulana Ilyas Sharafuddin; Ajmer Dargah khadims Syed Aaadil Chisti and Syed Sarwar Chisti; AAP MLA Amanutallah Khan; and, Waris Pathan.

It also provided evidence of hate speeches by pastor George Ponnaiah; preacher Mohan C Lazarus and Bishop Ezra Sargunum of Tamil Nadu and the mocking of Hindu gods and goddesses by stand up comedians Mnawar Faruqui, Alexander Babu, Aadar Malik, Surleen Kaur and Sanjay Rajoura.

The Hindu NGO listed 17 instances of hate crimes against Hindus, including the murder of an innocent tailor in Rajasthan for merely forwarding a post supporting Nupur Sharma’s alleged statement on the Prophet. It requested the court to direct the concerned governments to take strong action against the unabated hate speeches against Hindus in the country.