Team Clarion
KOLKATA – Noted journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani made a bold statement, asserting that the Indian government is the foremost producer, director, and actor of hate and violence in the country.
As she spoke at the “Violence Free India: The Way Forward” symposium organized by the West Bengal Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat (WBMEM) in Kolkata, silence engulfed the audience, according to a news portal. The news portal further reported that the journalist backed up her allegations with evidence to justify her stance, emphasizing that it is her duty as a journalist to support her claims with facts and figures.
The Delhi-based journalist, who is working for the gusty news outlet The Wire, then said: “I have evidence to support it. As a journalist, this is my work to have facts and figures to support my statement.”
The senior journalist further said, “There is a report by Hindutva Watch that in the first six months of 2023, there were 255 hate speech cases that took place in India. And 80 per cent of this happened in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states.”
During the event, Arfa highlighted how hate and violence against minorities have become a central policy of the current dispensation. She mentioned a US-based organization’s report that had only documented cases of violence against minorities, suggesting that the real numbers could be much higher. She reportedly said, “The organization is based in Washington DC and does not report from the ground. So, they have mentioned only documented incidents. This means the cases could be more. The government has stopped collecting such data in 2017 itself.”
She also mentioned the Washington Post’s investigative report which mentioned that during the Karnataka election, hate was a part of BJP’s election campaign.
At least 1.5 lakh people were employed to spread hate against Muslims and the Congress party and were told to the people that if they wanted to be saved, they should vote for the BJP, according to the journalist.
She further referred to the report of the Hindutva Watch, a data-based research initiative monitoring the Hindu right-wing ecosystem, highlighting that there were 255 recorded instances of hate speech gatherings or rallies targeting Muslims in the first six months of 2023.
“Every government and prime ministers of India do have their policies and agendas to work for. This government has only an agenda to spread hate and violence,” she added.
She also mentioned the Washington Post’s investigative report which mentioned that during the Karnataka election, hate was a part of BJP’s election campaign, reported the portal.
