NEW DELHI — More than a month after Haryana villages saw a string of gatherings and a Mahapanchayat (big gathering) in support of murder accused in Asif Khan lynchcing case, another Mahapanchayat was held on Sunday in Pataudi village where hate speeches targetting Muslims were made.
The speakers gave explicit calls for violence against Muslims. They raked up the bogus Hindu right-wing conspiracy theories: “Love Jihad”, “Land Jihad”, “peer Jihad” and “Population Jihad”.
The highlight of the gathering was the speech of ‘Rambhakt’ Gopal Sharma, the man known as Jamia shooter for his act of shooting fires at the agitating students of Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia in January 2020. His speech was broadcasted live on Facebook. He addressed the Muslims as “Love Jihadi snakes” whose heads need to be smashed for the “honour of our sisters and daughters”.
“When Muslims will be murdered they will shout Ram Ram,” he said in his speech viral on social media. Gopal had made similar speeches in previous gatherings as well calling for mobilising people in support of the accused in the Asif lynching case.
Another video doing rounds on social media shows Gopal leading hundreds of supporters shouting: “Mullu ka na Kaji ka yeh Desh hai veer shivaji ka”.
Suraj Paul Amu, the newly-appointed spokesperson of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party who had triggered massive controversy over his speech at the previous Mahapanchayat at Indri village, was another prominent speaker at Pataudi. He called for demolition of a mosque from its foundation.
Most of the men in the gathering wore saffron coloured tunics while the saffron flags flanked out from the poles of the tent pitched in the village. Two national flags were also put up at the venue behind the podium. Each time a speaker would come on the microphone, he would shout, Bharat Mata ki Jai.
Manu Manesar, a self-styled cow protector, was introduced as someone “who shoots and gets shot while protecting cows.”
Manesar proposed a solution to the “problem of love jihad” as he sought a “list of love jihadis” whom “we will kill” while “big brother will save us” — seemingly a reference to the BJP government.
The previous Mahapanchayat had vehemently demanded release of accused arrested for lynching Asif Khan, a gym trainer. The speakers had warned that if their demand was not met, they would hold more such gatherings. Notably police did release four of the accused just days after the Mahapanchayat saying they were found innocent in investigation even as the victim’s family cried foul. They said those given bail were part of the mob that lynched Asif on May 16.
This story first appeared on clarionindia.net