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Delhi: Anmol Pritam, a reporter working with the YouTube channel National Dastak has received praise from netizens for standing his ground against a right-wing mob who asked him to chant “Jai Shree Ram”.
Pritam was covering an event organized by Ashwini Upadhyay, the former Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson called “Bharat Jodo Movement” which supposedly demands the end of “colonial-era laws” by implementing a Uniform Civil Code. There has never been sufficient clarity on what qualifies as a uniform civil code. However, the term has been used by the Hindutva brigade in the past who are desirous of nullifying other religions and imposing their targeted brand of Hinduism.
While there isn’t any clarity on what “colonial-era laws” the event attendees wish to do away with, it is comprehensible that the lack of legal discussion was overshadowed by a recycled discussion on religion.
Pritam found himself trapped amidst a group of unhinged “protestors” as they demanded that he chant “Jai Shree Ram”. A video of the reporter being hounded by the mob has gone viral on social media, in which he can be seen refusing to give in to their demand, despite the hostile presence of the crowd.
National Dastak tweeted the viral video on Sunday and stated that the journalist was threatened. However, Ashwini Upadhyay distanced himself from the “protest” by claiming that the videos weren’t from the event he had organized.
In perhaps the only worthwhile outcome of the situation, Anmol received support from the Twitterverse with a number of people tweeting #ISupportAnmol who also collectively expressed their disdain for the maniacal hate-mongering he was subjected to.
Here are some reactions: