Kerala Police have launched a probe after a video of a Kerala boy making provocative slogans against Hindus and Christian went viral on social media platforms.
The incident took place on 21 May 2022, during the event of “Jana Maha Sammelanam”, organised by the Popular Front of India ( PFI), an organization always under the radar for terrorism and activities against the country. This event happened at Alappuzha, Kerala.
As the videos from the event went viral, the police took cognisance of the incendiary sloganeering and sprung into action. In its statement, the police said, “The video came to our notice yesterday only, and we are examining where this happened.”
According to reports, a mob of over 1,000 PFI supporters and members hit the streets, engaged in threatening, abusing and calling for violence against Hindus and Christians. The mob warned Hindus and Christians of dire consequences if they did not live peacefully in the country. The mob threatened that they have not forgotten the Gujarat Riots of 2002 and cautioned the Sangh Parivar to not mistake Kerala for Gujarat.
Incendiary slogans made at the PFI rally in Kerala
“Be ready for your death rituals if you won’t live in our land quietly. Be ready with rice flakes to fill your mouth, if you won’t live quietly (For Hindus ). Be ready to burn amber in your home if you won’t live quietly ( For Christians). Because we are coming, we are your death. We won’t go to Pakistan or Bangladesh, you have to live here as we say, or else we know how to make you live quietly, we will kill you even if we are attacked. We take pride in being a martyr, we salute them. If you won’t live quietly, we know how to ask for ‘Azadi’. Be prepared for your death,” the PFI members shouted in Malayalam.
Furthermore, the mob also vowed to conduct ‘Sujood’ ( kind of prayer ) in the disputed building of Babri Masjid at Ayodhya again. Also, they have decided to continue ‘Sujood’ in the disputed structure called ‘Gyanvapi Mosque’ which is built on the ruins of a temple in Varanasi. They said they are not leaving for Pakistan or Bangladesh and if they do so, they will take the Sangh Parivar along with them.
“Will do Sujood in Babri Masjid again. We will do Sujood in Gyanvapi too. Insha Allah Insha Allah…Reminding you Sanghis..Won’t leave for Pakistan, won’t leave for Bangladesh. We will go to 6 feet down under instead. Sanghis, listen to us before we go, If we go, we will “take” you also with us,” said the protesters who attended the PFI demonstration.
In the video, a boy could be heard raising the slogan, “Hindus should keep rice for their last rites, and Christians should keep incense for their last rites. If your life decently, you can live in our land, and if you don’t live decently properly, we know Azadi (freedom). Live decently, decently, decently.” People attending the rally were repeating the slogan.
BJP Kerala state office secretary Jayaraj Kaimal said, “Hindus should buy rice and flowers for their last rites, Oh! I forgot one thing. Christians should also buy incense for their last rites. If you want to live here, live ‘decently’; otherwise, we know how to implement ‘Azadi’.” – Slogans are from the PFI rally in Alappuzha.”
“Hindus should buy rice and flowers for their last rites, Oh! I forgot one thing. Christians should also buy incense for their last rites. If you want to live here, live ‘decently’; otherwise, we know how to implement ‘Azadi’.” -Slogans are from the PFI rally in Alappuzha. pic.twitter.com/4aMgDwv0tw
— Jayaraj Kaimal (@jrkaimalbjp) May 22, 2022
In a follow-up tweet, he said, “The soft approach of the Left and Right political parties towards the Popular Front is literally intimidating. It has been 48 hours since the slogan of annihilation of Hindus and Christians was uttered. Kerala is going through a terrible situation.”
90കളിൽ സമാന മുദ്രാവാക്യങ്ങളായിരുന്നു കശ്മീരിലും ഉയർന്നു കേട്ടത്. അവിടത്തെ ഭരണ സംവിധാനമാകട്ടെ തീവ്രവാദികൾക്ക് ഓശാന പാടുന്ന സമീപനമാണ് കൈക്കൊണ്ടത്. അന്നത്തെ കാശ്മീരുമായി ഇന്നത്തെ കേരളത്തിന് ഒരുപാട് സാമ്യമുണ്ട്. (2/2)
— Jayaraj Kaimal (@jrkaimalbjp) May 23, 2022
Stating similar slogans were raised in Kashmir in the 90s, he said, “Similar slogans were heard in Kashmir in the 90s. The regime has adopted a “singular” approach to extremism. Today’s Kerala is very similar to Kashmir then.” [Tweets translated from Malayalam to English using Google Translate]
The threat calls ends with the famous ‘Intifada Assalam”, the Islamist salute to the people who have been killed in political murders recently in Kerala. It is worth noting that the Intifada Assalam salutes were used in Iraq in 1952 before the horrifying spate of mass murder, rioting and killings gripped the country. The same pattern continued till 2015, during the Syrian and Lybian civil wars. The calls for intifada have become a common sight in PFI rallies in Kerala nowadays.
PFI claims they stopped the sloganeering
PFI officials have claimed that when workers associated with the organization noticed the slogans, they stopped them. PFI spokesperson Rauf Pittambi drew a parallel between Hinduism and Hindutva to justify the slogans. He was quoted by India Today saying, “Many raised slogans against Hindutva terror. This boy also raised slogans. We regret the few lines of the slogans and will look into it. His slogans were not against Hindus or Christians but against Hindutva terrorists planning genocide.”
