On Sunday (15th September), a Police complaint has been filed against the controversial X handle, Team Saath, for insulting the culture and traditions of Himachal Pradesh and labeling Hindus as “terrorists”. The complaint in this matter was submitted to the Police by Chetan Bragta, spokesperson and in charge of state BJP’s IT and Social Media team.
The complaint was filed against the X handle for a tweet saying “Hindutva Terrorists on the prowl in Himachal Pradesh,” with an image of a traditional ritual celebration by Hindus carrying swords.
Here we have Chetan Bragta ji @chetanbragta filing a complaint against @TeamSaath who had termed Himachalis dancing in a traditional ceremony in a video as terrorists and incorrectly linked it with protests against an illegal mosque in Shimla.pic.twitter.com/631jfaEqrI
— VatsRohit (@KesariDhwaj) September 15, 2024
Leading a small delegation to the Police station, Chetan Bragta told a Police officer that Himachalis celebrate a festival called ‘Jagra’ and highlighted that swords are also part of the celebratory gathering. As part of Jagra Utsav, celebrating events were held on multiple days in the state. However, the specific incident pertains to a Jagra Utsav event that took place on 7th September.
He said that Jagra festival is celebrated in the region with lots of enthusiasm, and it is an emotional issue for Hindus. Presenting a printout of the tweet by Team Saath, Chetan Bragta told the police officer that Team Saath called the Hindus celebrating the festival on 7th September terrorists.
He added that Team Saath insulted the traditional Himachali festival and shared a picture of the Jagra Utsav event.
This isn’t the same Himachal anymore! Politics aside, target whoever you want, do whatever you want, but targeting our Devi Devtas and culture is intolerable. Hats off to @chetanbragta ji for standing strong and registering an FIR against those calling our culture and traditions… pic.twitter.com/PgRyReE5Xp
— Nikhil saini (@iNikhilsaini) September 15, 2024
In the post, Team Saath also called the Hindus “terrorists” which has hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community.
Consequently, Bragta urged the Police officer to book Team Saath under Sections 153A and 296A. He also demanded that Cyber Police team should report the X handle and take strict action against the guilty persons.
He further stated calling Hindus terrorists should be stopped and it wouldn’t be tolerated.
In his complaint, he has attached the 14th September post shared by Team Saath. In the controversial post, Team Sath wrote, “Hindutva Terrorists on the prowl in Himachal Pradesh.” It also shared the image of Himachalis dancing in their traditional Utsav with some participants seen holding musical instruments while others dancing with their swords in their hands.
After filing the complaint, Chetan Bragta wrote, “Comparing Dev Sanskriti, Dev Samaj, Himachali Nati and Hinduism with terrorism is not only an insult to our traditions but also hurts the sentiments of crores of people. A police complaint has been filed against you.”
देव संस्कृति, देव समाज, हिमाचली नाटी और हिंदू धर्म की तुलना आतंकवाद से करना न केवल हमारी परंपराओं का अपमान है, बल्कि करोड़ों लोगों की भावनाओं पर चोट है। आपके खिलाफ पुलिस शिकायत दर्ज करवा दी है। https://t.co/pCiH4omxse
— Chetan Bragta (@chetanbragta) September 15, 2024
Chetan Bragta asked the police officer to talk to the SP regarding the matter, and added that he will follow up with him on progress of the case.
Controversial past of Team Saath
‘Team Saath’, a malicious troll account on X (formerly Twitter) that routinely indulges in targeted harassment of people who do not conform to its views, once made a hit list of celebrities for taking a nationalist stand. It has often worked as a mouthpiece for Islamists.
Though there are speculations on social media that actor Sushant Singh is inextricably linked to the account ‘Team Saath‘, they clarified that Sushant Singh is not the group’s founder but rather ‘The Goodwill Ambassador’. The account, the tweet said, is run by one ‘The Linguist’.
Nonetheless, here is a brief information about Himachali culture and traditional folk dance.
Naati traditional dance form and Jagra Utsav
Naati is a happy dance form. It is the state’s folk dance which is said to be an essential part of every occasion be it celebrating family marriages or the beginning of a new harvest season.
It is widely performed throughout Himachal Pradesh, predominately in Sirmauri, Kullu, Shiv Badar, and Shimla Nati. It also includes beautiful storytelling; for example, the Ras-Lila, or stories about the Hindu gods Krishna and Gopis are typically told by the Kullu Nathi. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, this dance is also the biggest folk dance in terms of participants.
It has several variants from the Sirmauri Naati to the Kulluvi, Mahasuvi, Chambyali, Lahauli, and Kinnauri one. The idea of this folk dance is to let go of one’s inhibitions, set themselves free, and dancing to the rhythms of the mountains.
The Jagra festival is celebrated in honour of Mahasu Devtaon the 3rd and 4th day of Bhadrapad month which coincides with the auspicious festival of Ganesh Chathurthi.
