A strange dichotomy has been observed while castigating abusers over civility on social media. Earlier this year, The ‘Bulli Bai’ app created havoc when many pictures of Muslim women were misused and uploaded by a group of youngsters. The gross objectification of women who belonged to ‘the minority community’ made waves even in the international press. In an ardent investigation that followed up, two youth – Aumkareshwar Thakur and Niraj Bishnoi were arrested on charges of promoting enmity between religious groups and online targeting.
More so than the swift investigation that followed, it was the online outrage that focused on targeting women based on religious lines. While it is true that the religious bigotry of the accused prompted them to take misogynistic treatment against women, it was the prior factor that was made the focal point of the discussions. The question being asked today is, will the same standards be applied in cases where the Hindu community is the victim? Be it writing off claims of grooming Jihad to not acknowledging obvious religious angles in rape cases, honour killings that fan in the interiors of India, there’s a pattern in humanising or vilifying perpetrators based on their religious or political inclination.
The Hindu threats of violence are exaggerated, while the obvious Islamist angle in many cases is either brushed under the carpet or the case is not acknowledged altogether. If this is not possible, narrative factories in full accordance with their ‘secular Idea of India’ often engage in victim-blaming or whitewashing the Islamist offender.
Unapologetic Hinduphobia on Instagram Live
Recently, Nadeem – a youth from Bikaner, Rajasthan who went on an Instagram Live with his friend Sabnam, was seen making crass comments on Hindu women to be identified, raped and killed. While Sabnam was grinning at Nadeem’s comments and praising his sense of humour, Nadeem declared that he saw three Hindus being killed in front of him, and now no Hindu dares to come into his area. He further said if he had an AK47, he would kill Hindus himself.
I’m tagged hugely on a insta video where a boy- REHAN & girl- SABNAM are found saying ‘Hindu Men should be k*lled & Hindu Girls R∆pEd’. How safe our men & women are?
— Vinayak Dev Trivedi (@Fuckeeeri) April 6, 2022
Direct Violation of IPC 153A?
They’re from Bikaner & Guwahati. @GuwahatiPol @Bikaner_Police pls take app.Actions pic.twitter.com/CTME5htFaQ
While Nadeem has been arrested, a statement from Bikaner Police underlined how misogynistic commentary powered by religious lines is forgiven when the perpetrator is not Hindu. The investigation report, as published by the Police on Twitter says, “Young boys who make thoughtless religious/communal remarks while being motivated end up disturbing the law and order of the society. These people put their families in challenging situations while their innocent r intentional actions create a rift between the communal groups.”
सोशल मीडिया के इंस्टाग्राम प्लेटफार्म पर आपत्तिजनक ऑडियो वायरल कर धार्मिक भावनाएं आहत करने के आरोपी को पुलिस द्वारा गिरफ्तार@PoliceRajasthan@IgpBikaner#bikanerpolice #crimebkn22 pic.twitter.com/WUPQHKcHWC
— Bikaner Police (@Bikaner_Police) April 9, 2022
In a fair world, Both Nadeem and Aumkareshwar would be accused of the same things. While the latter faced a media trial, Nadeem was given the benefit of doubt for being ‘innocent” by the state itself. These are not two random cases that are being juxtaposed against each other here, but a classic case of selective outrage for communally-driven prejudice against women.
The ‘IIT-engineer’ that rocked the Gorakhnath temple
After Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi, a chemical engineer attacked police personnel to enter the premises of the Gorakhnath temple, Samajwadi Party was quick to subdue his Jihadist intentions. The Police probe found links between Abbasi and ISIS, with him confessing his displeasure over CAA and NRC agitations. But it was Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav to furthered the ‘bipolar issue’ Abbasi was dealing with, which was first peddled by his father and dismissed by the doctor who examined him. “His father said he has a psychiatric problem, dealing with a bipolar issue, I feel we need to pay heed to that as well,” he said in a press conference while accusing the BJP of exaggerating the issue.
Uttar Pradesh | His father said he has a psychiatric problem, dealing with bipolar issue, I feel we need to pay heed to that as well (for probe)…BJP is a party that exaggerates: SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on Gorakhnath Temple accused Murtaza pic.twitter.com/P2N0UQLlPs
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) April 6, 2022
It was now for Maulana Ilyasi, a teacher in the same Madarsa that Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi had attended to register a statement before the police to reiterate the same claims. Ilyasi said that Abbasi’s father approached him in 2016 and expressed concern that someone had done black magic on Murtaza. The attempts of ‘victimizing’ the accused are brazen, in the case of the Gorakhnath temple attack.
Both the above cases are a notification that while actual threats of violence fanned by Islamism will be diluted, instances will be highlighted when the accused are Hindus, whereas, in most crimes, the intent is not religious for Hindus but it is for Islamists, as evidenced by documented cases. Misogyny and hate speech against a particular religion went hand-in-hand in the Instagram hate video and Bulli Bai cases. Yet, direct rape threats and isolation of Hindus were not pondered over by many sections of the mainstream media and ‘intellectual’ circles. To create a narrative of ‘atrocities against Muslims in India’, certain cases will be handpicked and Hindu victims in greater numbers will be brushed off from the larger picture.
