NEW DELHI – Even as outrage over genocide calls made at Haridwar’s Dharm Sansad against Muslims continues unabated, two civil rights groups, National Confederation of Human Rights Organizations (NCHRO) and All India Lawyers Association for Justice (AILAJ), demanded immediate action against the Hindutva hardliners who spewed venom against the minority community.
The National Confederation of Human Rights Organizations (NCHRO) squarely held Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami responsible in the matter for allowing such an event in his state.
“The Chief Minister of the State must also be answerable for this event of hate and bigotry while he is in office. We call upon all justice loving individuals and organisations to come together and stand against the politics of hatred and bigotry,” said NCHRO chairperson A. Marx in a statement.
Meanwhile, no arrest has been made in the case so far. The Uttarakhand police though registered an FIR against some of the hate mongers, not before a massive outrage against the culprits.
Marx said if not for the pro-Hindutva Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state, the event would not have taken place. In fact, the rightwing Hindutva outfits, he said are emboldened by the government’s leniency towards them.
“It is clear that such events are held openly with mala fide intent to vitiate inter-community relationship taking advantage of the atmosphere of anti-Muslim hatred as well as hatred in general has been created. The antisocial elements seem to have been patronised by the right-wing Hindutva government in power. As a result of this, there has been a sharp rise in the physical assaults on the members of minority groups in the recent past,” he said.
Pointing to the increase in hate crimes, he said “this event didn’t occur all of a sudden. Assaults on minority groups are part of the project of the hate politics.”
Meanwhile, another civil rights group, All India Lawyers’ Association for Justice (AILAJ) filed a complaint with the Uttarakhand Police, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and National Commission for Minorities (NCM) demanding immediate action against the organisers of the event and the speakers and a ban on the organisation involved in holding the event.
“We demand immediate action against the organisers of the event and arrest of the hate speakers. We want the state and Central governments to take suo moto cognisance of the incident and take immediate steps to ensure that the organisations behind it are preemptively banned in accordance with the Guidelines on Communal Harmony,” said Maitreyi Krishnan, National Co-Convenor of the AILAJ, in his complaint.
Commenting on the event, Krishnan said, “This hate assembly, where an open call for genocide of the Muslim community is given, poses a grave threat to the rule of law and all the democratic values enshrined in our constitution. It may be noted here that a call for extermination of a community, their ostracism, economic or social boycott, and incitement to violence as a “solution” are all markers of genocide. This is evident from the spate of violence against the Muslim community in the recent past. ”
Drawing attention towards the arrest of several activists like Umar Khalid on stringent charges under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for the speeches they gave in support of democracy and the constitution, the AILAJ questioned the police inaction against the Haridwar hate mongers who challenged the constitution.
This story first appeared on clarionindia.net