New Delhi: “Goli maro saalon ko, Hindu ke gadaaron ko (Shoot the traitors of Hinduism)” slogan was raised in Sector 12 of Gurugram on Friday, November 5, in a call for violence at a gathering of Hindutva supporters, meant to register protest against Muslims offering namaz in public places on Fridays.
The protest, which took the form of a Govardhan Puja, was organised by a Hindu organisation called Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti. It saw the participation of BJP leader Kapil Mishra, whose speech in the run-up to Delhi riots – issuing an ‘ultimatum’ to the police to clear anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protesters – is believed to have instigated anti-Muslim violence last year.
Amit Hindu (white kurta) and Monu Manesar (olive sweatshirt) using the ‘Goli Maro’ sloga. | Naomi Barton
The puja/protest comes in the backdrop of Hindutva supporters, Friday after Friday, lodging protests against Muslims in Sector 12 of Gurugram offering namaz in a public place for the past two months. The place where Muslims have been congregating for namaz – on a piece of public land in Sector 12 – had the approval of the administration, but that did not dissuade protestors.
Although the police did arrest 26 Hindutva protesters for attempting to disrupt Friday namaz last week, the administration, in a complete turnaround, also withdrew permission Wednesday, November 3, for namaz to be offered at eight of the 37 designated sites in Gurugram.
Speaking at the puja/protest, Kapil Mishra referred to protests which took place at Shaheen Bagh last year against the CAA and National Register of Citizens, which had faced threats from Hindutva supporters.
“Nobody has the right to shut down roads. This is not a part of any religion, nor can it be…Will you block the streets in Gurgaon? Will you block streets in Delhi? Blocking streets is not a part of religion, it is to block the country, facilities and the economy,” he told the gathering.
Also read: Gurugram: 30 Held for Disrupting Namaz in 6th Straight Week of Such Protests
Continuing further, he said that pedestrians, shop owners and school-goers had the right to the streets first. “If a local citizen – the resident of the area objects – then nobody has any constitutional rights to sit on the streets,” he added, effectively suggesting that Muslims are ‘outsiders’, while ‘locals’ who have more rights to object would be Hindu. It has been argued that the same ideology forms the basis of contentious legislation CAA and NRC, whose enactment saw widespread protests.
Mishra also said, “In this country, most land belongs to your Waqf Board. Make arrangements for your prayers there.” Since 2018, the Waqf Board has maintained that one of the issues at hand is that many of their sites in Gurugram have faced encroachment, causing difficulties in using the sites for namaz.
Mishra went on to say that everyone who uses roads realised that “they need to speak up for their rights”.
He added, “There were no mosques here before. Aren’t they there today? Doesn’t that mean that nobody has stopped them from being built? Nobody was against it, and nobody pushed you back, but if you push us back against the wall…then it’s necessary to give a push back.”
The event was conducted on a triumphal note that public namaz in Gurugram would be permanently stopped. During Mishra’s speech, protestors raised a slogan saying “Sector 12 sirf Jhaanki hai, pura Gurugram baaki hai”, a spin on a common slogan heard in the Hindutva ecosystem which goes by “Ayodhya sirf jhanki hai, Kashi Mathura baaki hai (Ayodhya is a mere teaser, Kasi and Mathura are still left).”
Presence of Yati Narsinghanand associates
While Mishra’s was among the more sedate speeches, the gathering also paid witness to more extreme statements.
One Amit Hindu led the slogan “Goli maaron salon ko, Hindu ke gadaaron ko (shoot the traitors of Hinduism)”. The previous iteration of this slogan, “Goli maron saalon ko, desh ke gadaron ko (shoot the traitors of the country)” had shot to notoriety ahead of the North-East Delhi communal violence, and has since become a regular feature of anti-Muslim events.