by Hindus for Human Rights

• On Jan 30, 2020, the 72nd anniversary of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, HfHR cofounder Giri, advisory board members Akriti Bhatia and Faisal Khan, and HfHR friend and mentor Vijay Pratap were among those detained by police as they were embarking on an “All India Yatra” to defend the Indian constitution. Giri and others were roughed up by the police, and phones were forceably taken and videos and photos deleted.

• Also on Jan 30, 2020, a 19-year old adherent of Hindutva (Hindu nationalism) opened fire on students of Jamia Islamia University, injuring one student.

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, Samajwadi Samagam, a group dedicated to preserving the constitutional values, the values of the freedom struggle of India and the socialist movement of India has planned to take out an All India Yatra (journey), conducting more than 500 programs during the journey.

Hindus for Human Rights Cofounder Giri, who is also part of PAIGAM (People’s Association in Grassroots Action and Movements), the media partner for the Yatra, has been closely involved in the organizing of the Yatra. On January 30, the 72nd anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, the Yatra intended to commence its journey from Gandhi Smriti (the location where Mahatma Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life and where he was assassinated) on 30 January Road, Delhi. A permit had been granted by the police for the start of the Yatra, but it was revoked on the evening of 29th citing “administrative reasons”.

The Yatris (travelers) convened peacefully on the 30th at Gandhi Smriti (the location where Mahatma Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life and was assassinated on January 30, 1948) around 9.30 am to pay tribute to Gandhi and head out on the Yatra.

Giri, HfHR advisory board members Akriti Bhatia and Faisal Khan, and our friend and mentor Vijay Pratap, were all part of the group. Just as the group convened, the police arrived and summarily dispersed the peaceful gathering and used physical force on Arun Srivastava, the chief organizer of the Yatra.

Giri was filming the use of physical force when he was also roughed up by the police. Giri’s phone was snatched by the same officer who was heckling Arun Srivastava. After detaining the yatris inside a police vehicle, the officer illegally deleted the videos that showed him shoving Arun Srivastava by force. The phone was handed back after selectively deleting all incriminating evidence. Here are some images and videos that survived because they were sent out on social media.

Later, the yatris were detained at the Mandir Marg police station for about three hours. Social activist and leader of Swaraj India, Yogendra Yadav, joined the detained yatris in solidarity and issued a statement in support of the Yatra and the yatris. He stated (in Hindi), “It has become criminal in today’s India to talk about Gandhi and Gandhian values, even on the anniversary of Gandhiji’s death.”

In today’s India silencing voices of dissent, even fatally, like in the case of Gauri Lankesh, M.M. Kalburgi and other intellectuals and advocates has become the norm.

Even as the yatris were finally released, they heard the news that a purported “Hindu protector” opened fire on students of Jamia Islamia University, injuring one protesting student.

News reports allege that the shooter is 19 year old Ram Bhagat Gopal Sharma, who goes by as Rambhakt (devotee of Rama) Gopal. The shooter allegedly posted several times on Facebook before shooting at students. His posts include, “Shaheen Bagh, the game is over,'“ and “Do my funeral rites with me covered in the saffron flag, with ‘Jai Shri Ram’ being chanted.”

India is slipping fast in the direction of a fascist nation and its constitutional framework is being undermined at an unprecedented rate. Hindu faith is being weaponized in the vicious form of Hindutva and the nation is being polarized intentionally along communal lines. India today is at serious crossroads and if action is not taken by practicing Hindus to preserve the core values of Hinduism that is centered on Ahimsa that Gandhi lived for every moment of his life, India might well become the source of such violence that is unprecedented in history. The incidents that unfolded today from the detaining of peaceful yatris to use of violent force on students of Jamia do not bode well.

The yatra was to begin on Jan 30th in order to honor Gandhi’s life, and commemorate his death at the hand of a Hindutva fascist. It is horrifying to us that a young Hindutva terrorist, devoted to the very ideology which killed Gandhi, opened fire on students defending the pluralistic secular India envisioned by Gandhi. If this is does not serve as a wake up call for all practicing Hindus around the world, then nothing else will. Hindus need to stand up to these atrocities being committed in our name and all practicing Hindus should unite in unison against the rise and spread of Hindutva. Hindus against Hindutva should become our mantra for peace.