A three-day hate speech conclave was organised by Hindutva leader Yati Narsinghanand in Uttarakhand's pilgrimage city of Haridwar from 17 to 19 December.
(Photo: The Quint)
A three-day hate speech conclave was organised by Hindutva leader Yati Narsinghanand in Uttarakhand's pilgrimage city of Haridwar from 17 to 19 December.
The event – where communal calls were made to kill minorities and attack their religious spaces – has prompted outrage among activists, students and lawyers among others. Most recently, at least 100 people staged a protest against the event in the national capital, demanding the immediate arrest of Yati Narsinghanand and other leaders.
Across the globe, international media houses also took notice of the hate-spewing event.
While some defined it as a blatant example of rising anti-Muslim sentiment in India, others raised questions on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government espousing a hardline Hindu ideology.
The New York Times opined that even amid the rise of religious intolerance in the country, the Haridwar event 'produced the most blatant and alarming call for violence in recent years and yet, the topmost leaders, including Prime Minster Narendra Modi, have not broken their silence.
In a piece for the daily, Sameer Yasir wrote:
A report by the BBC followed the action initiated against the various speakers at the event, noting the delay in filing a case.
The report added:
Aljazeera too, reiterated the silence of the leadership, especially Prime Minister Modi, in the face of blatant calls for communally charged violence in the country.
The report, which was published nearly a week after all the events were held added:
In an article for Bloomberg, Sudhi Ranjan Sen also took note of the Haridwar event and said that such events are likely to see an uptick in view of the upcoming Assembly elections in UP and Haridwar.
The author also stated:
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