Manufacturing Muslim ‘Criminals’: The Hindutva Formula

The most prominent ideologue of RSS MS Golwalkar declared Muslims and Christians as INTERNAL THREAT number ONE and TWO respectively. This understanding has been the core belief of RSS leaders/cadres. That was the reason that a leading RSS cadre, in-charge of Dharam Jagran Samiti, Rajeshwar Singh, few months after Modi taking over as PM of the country in 2014 declared that “we will free India of Muslims and Christians by 2021”. Since both Muslims and Christians constitute around 16-17% of the country's population, it is surely going to be a herculean task. However, the Hindutva individuals/leaders are working overtime to accomplish this task within the deadline. Since Muslims are the largest minority, the Hindutva juggernaut is concentrating on them. Apart from using cow, Tiranga, Vande Mataram, love-jihad and blaming extra-territorial loyalties, fake videos are being circulated to spread hatred against common Muslims and organize mobs for attacking them. Conspiracies have become the Hindutva mantra to cleanse Muslims.

The latest incident has happened in Rajasthan State which, incidentally, leads the nation in violence against Muslims and Dalits. According to a leading English daily (The Indian Express, August 28, 2017, “a little over a month ago, a short video clip had gone viral on social media in the Hindu-majority Hindoli, Rajasthan. The clip, shot entirely from overhead, showed an old man in a skull cap and white kurta-pyjama molesting a child. It was difficult to identify the two due to the angle of the camera as well as the poor recording quality, while there were no clues to make out the under-construction site where the attack took place. However, by late July, word had spread that the old man “resembled” 80 year old Abdul Ansari and that the young child looked like a Rajput girl from the neighbourhood.”

Abdul Waheed Ansari headed a family of businessmen who owned a popular shop namely Bharat Krishi Seva Kendra which dealt in seeds, pesticides, manure, and spray machines which was run with the help of his sons. Soon after video going viral, “protesters, including people the Ansaris had known for long, were on the streets, demanding Abdul’s arrest. The BJP, Bajrang Dal, VHP and Karni Sena held separate protests, with stones being pelted at the Ansari house, damaging the family’s car.”

The report goes on to tell that, “On July 31, the father of the girl suspected to be in the video lodged a complaint at the Hindoli police station saying he recognised her from her frock. An FIR was lodged under IPC Section 376 (rape) as well as under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) against Abdul”.

According to the elder son, Shahadat Ali Ansari of Abdul Waheed Ansari, the same day, police picked up the 80-year-old “for questioning at about 6 am but let him go. Later however, a few men, four of them journalists, started spreading rumours that we had ‘bribed’ the police.” Crowd of about 300-400 people surrounded their house, Police returned to arrest Abdul again the same day, and he has been in jail for last 27 days.

It is despite the fact that in the first week of August it was proved that video was fake. It was confirmed by the UP police that the said video was recorded sometime in March in the pottery town of Khurja, UP and had nothing to do with Abdul Ansari. According to the press report the same was confirmed by the Bundi SP Adarsh Sidhu. While police are convinced now that the video is not from Bundi, Abdul’s troubles are far from over as 'the molested girl' had also made a statement under CrPC 164 before the magistrate which is legally more binding on police.

So, 80 year old Abdul Waheed Ansari continues to be in Jail despite incontrovertible proof of his innocence due to a conspiracy hatched by Hindutva communal elements. It is not difficult to know why Hindutva organisation conspired. The family runs flourishing businesses which are largest in the area. Shahadat, the eldest son lamented the fact that despite good relations with their neighbours the latter were being manipulated by 'crooked' elements that are jealous of their wealth.

The conspiracy at Hindoli is continuation of Hindutva organisations conspiratorial mindset. A publication of RSS (Param Vaibhav Ke Path Par) disclosed that on the eve of Partition: “Swayamsevaks had posed to have adopted Musalman [sic] religion in order to gain the confidence of Delhi Muslim League for knowing their conspiracies.”

What these RSS swayamsevaks, impersonating as Muslims on the eve of Independence, were doing was made clear by none other than Dr Rajendra Prasad who later became first President of the Indian Republic. In a letter to the first Home Minister of India, Sardar Patel, on March 14, 1948, he wrote:

“I am told that RSS people have a plan of creating trouble. They have got a number of men dressed as Muslims and looking like Muslims who are to create trouble with the Hindus by attacking them and thus inciting the Hindus. Similarly there will be some Hindus among them who will attack Muslims and thus incite Muslims. The result of this kind of trouble amongst the Hindus and Muslims will be to create a conflagration.”

The murder of father of the Nation was the outcome of a Hindutva conspiracy and Muslims are the main target of Hindutva conspiracies. The only hope is judiciary and honest personnel in the law and order set-up who remain committed to a democratic-secular India.