Amid a deluge of online backlash, Twitter on Sunday, 20 February, removed a derogatory post by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Gujarat unit, which featured a caricature applauding the recent court verdict sentencing 38 convicts to death in the 2008 Ahmedabad blasts case.
The cartoon depicted a group of skull cap-clad, bearded men hanging by a noose. The background showed the tricolour and a scene of blasts, and was captioned with Satyamev Jayate (truth alone triumphs).
“The post on the 2008 serial blasts verdict has been removed by Twitter after someone reported against it,” news agency PTI quoted Gujarat BJP spokesperson Yagnesh Dave as saying on Sunday.
As per Twitter, the tweet was taken down for violating the social media platform’s rules.
Several social media users, including journalists and political leaders, noted that the cartoon was ostensibly targeting the Muslim community.
'Cartoons Were Used Widely in the Genocide Against Jews'
Reacting to the post, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi took to Twitter to post a photo of the caricature, next to an analogous cartoon from the Nazi-era.
"LEFT: Cartoon depicting Jews and other Nazi enemies hanging on gallows 1935. RIGHT: BJP cartoon 2022," he captioned the two images.
"Cartoons were used widely in genocides of Jews in Germany and Tutsis in Rwanda. We expect nothing better from BJP, but should we assume that this appeals to BJP’s voters?" Owaisi questioned further.
Besides the AIMIM chief, others also commented on the messaging of the cartoon, calling it 'bigoted'. Sana Saeed, a writer and journalist, tweeted:
Professor Khaled Beydoun wrote:
"Just evil. BJP shares cartoon of Muslims being hung, emulating old Nazi cartoon," he added in another tweet.
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