The Uttarakhand police have taken to Twitter to refute allegations that Christmas celebrations were banned in the state. Taking to its official Twitter handle, the Uttarakhand police wrote in Hindi which roughly translated as: “Nowhere in the state was there a prohibition on the Christmas festival. This event has been enthusiastically celebrated by the Christian brethren throughout the state. It is an appeal to all of you not to pay heed to the rumours that are tainted by such religious malpractices. Here, in the state of Uttarakhand, as per the Constitution of India, all religions are respected equally.”
प्रदेश में कहीं भी क्रिसमस पर्व पर बैन नहीं था। पूरे प्रदेश में सभी ईसाई बंधुओं ने बड़े हर्षोल्लास से इस पर्व को मनाया है। आप सभी से अपील है कि इस तरह की धार्मिक दुर्भावनाओं से ग्रसित अफ़वाहों पर ध्यान न दें। यहाँ सभी धर्मों का सम्मान है, जैसा भारत का संविधान कहता है।
— Uttarakhand Police (@uttarakhandcops) December 28, 2021
The Uttarakhand police were replying to Jo Chopra-McGowan, the co-founder and director of the Latika Roy Foundation (LRF), a voluntary organization based in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, who alleged in her now-deleted Tweet that the authorities had banned Christmas celebrations in Uttarakhand.
Jo Chopra lies about Christmas being banned in Uttarakhand, gets called out
In a classic example of how the left-liberal intelligentsia has always spread hatred maligning Hindutva, the NGO founder had Tweeted on December 25: “Shopping yesterday in Dehradun – this state where #Christmas has been banned. In every shop, every person I met greeted me with a smile and a “Merry Christmas, Ma’am”. Sorry, #Hindutva. You can’t win. Indians are too open, too kind, too cool for your silly agenda of hate.”
As evident from her Tweet, she concocted the entire news on the Christmas ban in Uttarakhand so that she could accuse the Hindus of being intolerant towards people of other communities. Her shenanigans, however, did not go unnoticed. Soon after Jo Chopra took to Twitter to spew venom on Hinduism by spreading the fake news, several Twitter users called her out for defaming Hindus and asked her to immediately delete her Tweet and render an apology.
Dehradun based popular social media user Alok Bhatt urged Uttarakhand police to take cognisance. “Dear @uttarakhandcops, @JoChopra shud be booked for spreading enmity amongst communities by spreading lies that Christmas is banned in Ukd. Please ask her to delete this tweet and apologise or else book her under 295A and 153B pls- Jo read this & retract ur tweet with lies,” wrote Bhatt.
Dear @uttarakhandcops , @JoChopra shud be booked for spreading enmity amongst communities by spreading lies that Christmas is banned in Ukd. Please ask her to delete this tweet and apologise or else book her under 295A and 153B pls- Jo read this & retract ur tweet with lies https://t.co/LB8J22NJsG pic.twitter.com/kc2x0HTNH0
— Alok Bhatt (@alok_bhatt) December 28, 2021
Irked by her malicious attempt to spread communal discord, Alok Bhatt urged Dehradun police to call Jo Chopra for questioning. He asked the NGO founder to delete her malicious Tweet and apologise for the same.
I request @uttarakhandcops to call @JoChopra for questioning regarding her claims that Christmas is banned in Uttarakhand and maligning Hindus and Hindutva – defined here as a way of life by Hon’ble SC https://t.co/AuCuNXwKcO
— Alok Bhatt (@alok_bhatt) December 28, 2021
Alternatively, delete and apologise, Jo!
Alok Bhatt went on to tag the Home Ministry urging it to take appropriate action against Jo Chopra’s NGO and investigate her citizenship records or visa terms.
Dear @HMOIndia @JoChopra runs a FCRA approved NGO; she was spreading baseless and malicious lies abt banning of Christmas- her tweet was also called out by @uttarakhandcops -request u to pls take appropriate action on her NGO & investigate her citizenship records or visa terms https://t.co/d82hQsCNiG pic.twitter.com/WZ2jp3d7lg
— Alok Bhatt (@alok_bhatt) December 28, 2021
Replying to Alok Bhatt’s Tweet, Twitter user Vijay Patel divulged some personal details about the NGO’s founder claiming that her and her husband’s NGOs are running illegally and receiving funds worth lakhs from certain suspicious foreign organisations. “This husband wife due has separate NGOs and both of them are receiving lakhs of rupees from foreign. Their son Anand is married into a Chinese family and has relatives in Beijing! I will write a detailed thread on this today,” Tweeted Vijay Patel.
Hello @alok_bhatt sir,
— Vijay Patel🇮🇳 (@vijaygajera) December 28, 2021
This husband wife due has separate NGOs and both of them are receiving lakhs of rupees from foreign.
Their son Anand is married into a Chinese family and has relatives in Beijing!
I will write a detailed thread on this today.🙏 https://t.co/wYubCmMdh7
In fact, replying to Alok Bhatt, Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) also Tweeted that it would be studying Chopra’s NGOs activities and subsequently lodge a complaint with the Home Ministry to cancel her license.
Jo Chopra McGowan of Latika Roy Memorial Foundation, The FCRA NGO with number 347900057 caught spreading rumors to defame Hindus; @uttarakhandcops
— Legal Rights Observatory- LRO (@LegalLro) December 28, 2021
called out her lies. We will be studying her NGO activities n will lodge complaint at @HMOIndia to cancel license. @alok_bhatt pic.twitter.com/ydAZzmD03X
Subsequently, Uttarakhand police responded and confirmed that Jo Chopra had lied when she claimed that Christmas celebrations were banned in the state. The police, indeed, testified that the founder and director of Latika Roy Foundation had maliciously resorted to spreading false news with the sole intention to malign the Hindus.
Jo Chopra McGowan issues an apology but continues her propaganda against Hindutva
Spooked by the raging controversy, Jo Chopra issued an apology but continued with her efforts to malign Hindutva. She said that her tweet about Christmas being banned in Uttarakhand had been misunderstood. She added that she wanted to convey that Indians are not hateful and the Hindutva agenda is not widely shared.
Many people have misunderstood my tweet about Christmas being banned in Uttarakhand. My intention was to say that Indians are NOT hateful and that the Hindutva agenda is not widely shared. As a Christian, I’ve always felt welcome + appreciated here. If I’ve hurt anyone, I’m sorry
— Jo Chopra McGowan (@JoChopra) December 28, 2021
“Many people have misunderstood my tweet about Christmas being banned in Uttarakhand. My intention was to say that Indians are NOT hateful and that the Hindutva agenda is not widely shared. As a Christian, I’ve always felt welcome + appreciated here. If I’ve hurt anyone, I’m sorry,” she tweeted.
