A spectre of horrifying riots was witnessed last week in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri after a Hindu procession to mark the Hanuman Jayanti came under attack when it approached the Jama Masjid in the region, triggering an ugly bout of violence that left at least nine injured.
An FIR filed in the case said when the procession approached the Jama Masjid in C Block at 6 PM, a man named Ansar approached the procession with some of his companions and initiated an argument. This dispute quickly devolved into stone-pelting, resulting in a stampede in the procession. According to the FIR, police attempted to take control of the situation, but a specific segment of the mob disregarded the orders and intensified the sloganeering and set ablaze some vehicles. The crowd kept pelting stones and glass bottles at the procession.
The mob also fired gunshots in which Sub Inspector Medha Lal Meena got injured after a bullet in his hand. Inspector Rajeev Ranjan, the key informant whose information was used to file the complaint, indicated that the entire programme was peaceful until some anti-social members interrupted the procession and began rioting. The FIR has been registered under provisions 147 (Rioting), 148 (Armed rioting), 186 (Obstructing duty of public servant), 353 (Assault on public servant), 307 (Attempt to murder), 427 (damage to property), and 436 (Attack by explosives) of the Indian penal code along with section 27 of the Arms Act 1959.
Several videos are viral on social media in which the mob can be seen flashing swords and other weapons along with chanting slogans of Allahu Akbar. However, as has been the case, Islamists and apologists were quick to defend the rioters, accusing the Hindus who were part of the procession of “provoking” the other side to respond with violence, vandalism and arson.
This, of course, has been the modus operandi of the apologists, who have mastered the pernicious practice of pushing the blame of any untoward incident on the victims in their bid to shield the Islamists. Many eminent ‘liberals’ pushed this perverted narrative that residents in the Muslim-dominated region of Jahangirpuri were pushed to the wall by the procession participants that violence and rioting were inevitable.
Poonawalla calls on Muslims to condemn violence and celebrate Hindu festivals
However, there were some who refrained from being apologists of rioters who attacked the Hanuman Jayanti procession in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri. Tehseen Poonawalla, a regular fixture on news debate and brother-in-law of Robert Vadra, recently penned a Twitter thread emphasising the need for Muslims to issue an unqualified condemnation of the attacks witnessed during the Hindu festivals. He called for every single Muslim leader, entrepreneur, and influencer to publicly denounce the communal riots taking place during Hindu festivals.
2. Any joker who stereotypes MUSLIMS by coming on debates with a cap & beard and speaks like a FANATIC & tries to polarize society must be publicly denounced. These jokers have an agenda and they DO NOT REPRESENT MUSLIMS! Tv channels must be told NOT to call them! N
— Tehseen Poonawalla Official 🇮🇳 (@tehseenp) April 17, 2022
He further called for condemnation of those who stereotype Muslims who participate in news debates donning a skull cap and sporting a beard and polarise society with their incendiary rhetorics. “These jokers have an agenda and they DO NOT REPRESENT MUSLIMS! Tv channels must be told NOT to call them,” Tehseen tweeted.
As a show of support to Hindus, Tehseen urged Muslims to take to the streets and join “Hindu brothers and sisters” in celebrating their Hindu festivals. He asked Muslims to celebrate with Hindus and to invite Hindus to celebrate with them. “Do not let those who want to demonize Muslims & create a divide win,” Tehseen added.
3. Take to the streets during HINDU FESTIVALS with Hindu Brothers & sisters. Celebrate with them.. invite them to celebrate with you! Do not let those who want to demonize Muslims & create a divide win. This is your country. Be pro-active & defeat the fanatics on both sides!
— Tehseen Poonawalla Official 🇮🇳 (@tehseenp) April 17, 2022
End.
Islamists and ‘liberals’ attack Tehseen Poonawalla for his tweets calling on Muslims to issue an unequivocal condemnation of violence during Hindu festivals
However, this did not sit well with Islamists and ‘liberals’, who were quick to attack Tehseen for asking Muslims to condemn violence witnessed during the celebrations of Hindu festivals.
“This is an absolute BS take, state-sponsored acts of vandalism designed to provoke cannot be countered by cookie-cutter politics,” said a Twitter user while quoting Tehseen’s Twitter thread on why Muslims should denounce violence taking place during Hindu festivals.
This is an absolute BS take, state sponsored acts of vandalism designed to provoke cannot be countered by cookie cutter politics.
— Barbas (@BarbasBarbad) April 17, 2022
The only way is to use what is left of the law to protect Muslims. https://t.co/mBm0qmXuUu
Opposition to Tehseen also came from predictable quarters as one journalist who had worked for far-left propaganda website The Wire got embroiled in a war of words with Tehseen over the latter’s views on why Muslims should participate in celebrating Hindu festivals. The journalist, Samriddhi Sakunia, equated “taking to streets during Hindu festivals’ as akin to “desh me rehna hoga Jai Shri Ram kehna hoga”.
I beg to disagree here. “Take to the streets during Hindu Festivals…….. celebrate with them”, why @tehseenp ?
— Samriddhi K Sakunia (@Samriddhi0809) April 17, 2022
It’s the same as those songs like “Desh mai rehna hoga Jai Shri Ram Kehna Hoga”. Why to even give this idea of them taking to the streets? If they want to, they will! https://t.co/v94sXwe2dR
Tehseen countered her saying that all his life, he and his wife have celebrated Hindu festivals and that there was a need to defeat the fanatics. But, Samriddhi ploughed on, adding that all Hindus are not secular and that the argument of ‘fanatics’ was really problematic.
There were others who did not mind using unparliamentary language to oppose Tehseen’s views. Perpetuating the victimhood narrative, one social media user said the existence of Muslims is at stake and this “a**hole” wants Muslims to come out and take moral responsibility to maintain harmony while the Hindutva mob is on a bloodthirst drive.
Ye alag hi level ka chutiya hain. The existence of Muslims is at stake and this A$$hole wants muslims to come out and take moral responsibility to maintain harmony while h!ndutva mobbis on bloodthirst drive. https://t.co/eki4gwClZ6
— Gunn Runner (@Gooner_S) April 17, 2022
Several other Islamists slammed Tehseen Poonawalla for asking Muslims to condemn the violence during the Hindu festivals
These sarkaari Muslims want Muslims lay down their neck when Hindutva mob comes to attack them and their properties. https://t.co/4NY6IBMVA6
— Waquar Hasan (@WaqarHasan1231) April 17, 2022
What MUSLIMS must do:
— Shifa -Seeker (@ProudMuhajabah) April 17, 2022
This is the holy month of #Ramadan &
1. Every single MUSLIM leader, scholar, entrepreneur, influencer must now PUBLICLY, very vocally denounce hypocrites/cowards like @tehseenp
Muslims must say such loony toons are
NOT FROM US! https://t.co/d6xMiykonW
@tehseenp plz keep shut.
— Farzana Shadab (@farzana_shadab) April 17, 2022
NOT IN OUR NAME . We doIM don’t need you. For us our Allah is enough. https://t.co/aMSMXMWKp5
What reactions to Tehseen’s tweets reveal about the Islamist mentality
The strident criticism of Tehseen Poonawalla for his Twitter thread asking Muslims to condemn wanton acts of violence during Hindu festivals betrays the unrepentant attitude of Islamists towards rioting and vandalism witnessed during the Hanuman Jayanti celebrations. Far from being apologetic and regretful about the violence, the Islamists and their ‘liberal’ allies were perfectly fine with what transpired in Jahangirpura on Saturday.
Moreover, they even went ahead to rationalise the orgy of violence as a response to “provocation” caused by the Hindu procession. This is a cunning argument propped up by the Islamists and left-leaning liberals to defend attacks on processions on Hindu festivals because what constitutes a “provocation” is a subjective matter and incredibly difficult to be quantified. Therefore, by blaming Hindus for the violence, they are essentially absolving the rioters and vandals who went on a rampage on the streets of Delhi on Saturday evening.
For instance, for some folks, the existence of another faith in itself could be “provocative”, prompting them to take up violence against adherents of that faith. For others, who harbour deep resentment and pathological hatred towards a religion and its followers, processions or perhaps loudspeakers used in those processions provide a justifiable reason for them to be “provoked” to indulge in violence. Thus, the blame is shifted on the victims for ”instigating” the culprits into responding with violence.
Apparently, for the very same folks the 2002 Sabarmati Train burning incident in Gujarat’s Godhra did not constitute a “provocation” that triggered a gruesome wave of riots in its wake. Instead, they continue to fuel conspiracy theories that the Gujarat riots were planned in advance to persecute the state’s minority Muslims.
And lastly, the vigorous opposition to Tehseen’s tweets calling for Muslims to celebrate Hindu festivals and denounce violence reveals the disdain of Islamists for India’s pluralistic ethos. Such attacks and their appalling justification reaffirms the belief that the burden of upholding secularism in India rests solely on Hindus, who are expected to open their temple doors to namazis, keep iftar parties for Muslims to break their fasts, while the other side continues to attack Hindu temples, establishments and disrupt Hindu processions on the flimsy grounds of being the victims of “provocations”.
