In an exclusive interview with Samdish, girlfriend of anti-Hindu riots accused Umar Khalid, Banojyotsna Lahiri, talked about Khalid becoming headlines in 2016 during Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) protests in favour of terrorist Afzal Guru and his role in anti-CAA protests. Lahiri, who herself is a PhD scholar and defines herself as an activist just like her partner Umar Khalid, claimed he was innocent.
Lahiri called Umar Khalid’s journey a ‘fight for democracy’
During the interview, Lahiri claimed that they were fighting for democracy. She said, “We are fighting for democracy without electricity, while those in power live in their palaces.” She claimed that the activists face struggle every day and the “privileged lives of the ruling elite”. Interestingly, in a democracy, there is freedom of speech and expression but it is not absolute.
The constitution of India and the laws do not allow anyone to indulge in actions that can be deemed anti-India. For example, raising slogans of “Bharat Tere Tukde Honge, Inshaallah” and “Afzal Hum Sharminda Hain, Tere Kaatil Zinda Hain” cannot be allowed just because people in the country have a democratic right to freedom of speech. Furthermore, indulging in terror activities like planning riots or agitating people cannot be allowed. During the 58-minute interview, Lahiri consistently tried to paint a clear picture of Khalid and pose him as a “hero”.
JNU controversy
Lahiri talked about the “vibrant political environment” at the JNU and extensively talked about how Khalid was deeply involved in politics and activism. She said, “JNU was a place where free speech thrived, but the government’s crackdown on dissent has changed everything.” Recalling the incident of 2016 after which Khalid came to the limelight, she pointed out that the event was kind of a private one meant only for the students of JNU. Interestingly, she claimed it was about the atrocities that Kashmiri people faced but failed to acknowledge that it took place on the death anniversary of terrorist Afzal Guru and slogans were raised in his favour.
Lahiri claimed there was nothing wrong at the event and it was against Capital Punishment. However, there are videos available where people were raising slogans like “Bharat Tere Tukde Honge” while Khalid, the organiser of the event, was around. Being a responsible citizen, Lahiri tried to project him as it was Khalid’s duty to stop the anti-India sloganeering but he did not.
Lahiri said initially they thought it would pass but things turned against Khalid quickly and soon Kanhaiya Kumar, Khalid and others were arrested. The so-called assassination attempt on Khalid’s life was also raised during the interview as a “shocking incident” of their lives. However, she claimed Khalid was fearless and continued to go wherever he was called, especially during CAA protests.
Not to forget, Khalid expressed his separatist views about Jammu and Kashmir in his speeches. He accused the Indian Army and Central Government of atrocities against the local Kashmiris, just like other anti-India elements with vested interests do.
Notably, Lahiri further claimed that the challenges Khalid faced were due to his identity as a Muslim. However, she failed to mention that Khalid’s father was a SIMI operative. SIMI or Students’ Islamic Movement of India is a banned terrorist organisation. The similar tactic was used by his lawyers while appealing for bail.
Lahiri also mentioned an event where former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh came and interacted with the students. She said that Singh instructed the Vice Chancellor of the university not to take any strict action against those who asked tough questions. She claimed that such an event is not possible in today’s time. She completely ignores the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian government’s ministers often interact with students and the general public. The criticism they face on social media hardly becomes a problem unless the post may lead to law and order problems.
Some Indians have short-lived memories, not all.
— BALA (@erbmjha) May 15, 2024
If Umar Khalid's gf Banojyotsna Lahiri and @Samdish believed they could spin the Afzal Guru incident at JNU & portray Umar Khalid as a victim, then they are highly mistaken. pic.twitter.com/jpiksFWmbI
While Lahiri painted a happy picture of the UPA government, she failed to acknowledge that thousands of journalists and activists have been arrested during Congress rule since independence. While such arrests happened between 2004 and 2014, no one can forget how the Congress-ruled Indian government behaved during an emergency in the 1970s. It seems to be convenient for people like Lahiri to cherry-pick incidents and events to paint BJP in bad light.
The CAA Protests
Umar Khalid played a significant role in the nationwide protests against the Citizen Amendment Act (CAA). People like Umar Khalid extensively worked on spreading disinformation about CAA and claimed it was anti-Muslim. While Lahiri acknowledged Khalid was actively involved in the protests and travelled to every possible nook and corner of the country to give speeches, she conveniently ignored the fact that Khalid was also involved in orchestrating violent protests.
“He always advocated non-violence and love in response to hatred,” she claimed. However, according to the chargesheet filed by Delhi Police in the Delhi Riots larger conspiracy case, it was mentioned that Khalid called for violent protests on 24th and 25th February 2020 when then-President of the United States, Donald Trump, was in the country. She added, “Khalid’s speeches often drew on the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, calling for peaceful protests and civil disobedience. “If they spread hatred, we will respond with love,” Khalid would often say, echoing the principles of Gandhi.”
Lahiri claimed accusations against Khalid in CAA case were false
Lahiri claimed that media channels branded Khalis as a “mastermind” of the Delhi riots without any evidence. She called the situation a “traffic comedy”. However, the Delhi Police chargesheet and arguments placed by the public prosecutor during his bail pleas pointed out that prima facie he was involved in the riots. Notably, it does not matter if the person who orchestrated the riots was present at the scene when violence broke out or not.
While recalling the events that led to Khalid’s arrest, she blamed the media for running a parallel trial on the accused. She also claimed that his speeches were not provocative. On the contrary, his presence at the “secret meeting” over CAA protests, WhatsApp chats and witness confessions prove that he was involved in the planning of the riots. “The media trial was swift and merciless, painting him as a villain without any proof,” she added. Contrary to what she claimed, speeches of Umar Khalid available in the public domain show that he tried to provoke Muslims against the Central Government.
Furthermore, it was presented in the court by the public prosecutor how Khalid actively created narrative in the media and on social media.
Samdish and right-wing’s short-term memory
In recent months, right-wing accounts on social media consistently shared Samdish’s videos where he was seen mocking leaders of the opposition including Tejasvi Yadav, Arvind Kejriwal and more. Ideally, when it comes to sharing someone’s views, it is essential to note if the person has a past have some anti-social behaviour.
Samdish roasting AAPiyas. 🤣🤣
— Mikku 🐼 (@effucktivehumor) May 11, 2024
“Kejriwal ko nikaalna hai, Dilli se” 🙏 pic.twitter.com/rLDuUXoN7H
This interview with Samdish proves that vloggers and influencers should not be trusted blindly. The same goes with other such vloggers like Barkha Dutt. Her videos where she or her guest were seen praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi often go viral, thanks to the right-wing accounts on social media. But how can someone forget how she behaved during the Kargil War and the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks?
This is New now…
— News Unplugged (@News_Unplugged) February 19, 2024
PM Modi needs new enemies, the old ones became his fans.
Not in my wildest dreams I could have guessed Shobhaa De would called PM Modi "Master of the Universe" 😎😂#ModiHaiToMumkinHai pic.twitter.com/JYAY52W0Mx
Not only journalists and leaders but the general public need to introspect on how they make people “heroes” without a proper background check.
