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News18
11 hours ago
- Politics
- News18
Erased In Silence: How Intelligentsia Ignores Hindu Persecution
Last Updated: The world must wake up to the reality that Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh are not just second-class citizens, they are targeted and oppressed minorities For generations, the liberal intelligentsia in India and the West have platformed themselves as the flagbearers of a conscience-driven society and champions of the oppressed and voiceless. Yet, their silence on the relentless persecution of Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh exposes the absolute hollowness of this claim. These are states whose very foundations were laid on the idea of Islamic othering. The non-Muslim, particularly the Hindu, exists as an unwanted relic of a rejected hangover of 1947. As a consequence, the persecution they suffer isn't just societal but institutional, legal and sustained via the State's policy mechanisms. It is often forgotten that over 90% of Indian Muslims of undivided British India, who voted in the 1946 elections, supported the Muslim League's call for Pakistan. Yet after Partition, more than 70% of them who voted, chose to stay back in India and not embrace the Pakistan they helped create. Some, like Khaliquzzaman, who were patrons of the Muslim League and Gazwa-E-Hind project (literal translation Holy War against Hind), even stayed on to help shape India's Constitution sitting in the constituent assembly before eventually departing for Pakistan they had politically birthed. This unacknowledged historical truth is uncomfortable for the intelligentsia, which continues to present Muslims of the Indian subcontinent as mere victims of Hindu majoritarianism, while refusing to scrutinise the ideological forces and often deflecting it on the Hindu Mahasabha or Savarkar that led to Partition and its consequences. Despite the global blindspot and gaslighting of facts, it is undeniable that in Pakistan and Bangladesh, Hindus are being quietly erased. Their temples are frequently desecrated, their daughters abducted, raped and converted under State patronage, their lands snatched, and their identities crushed. This is not anecdotal but rather state-enabled. In Bangladesh, a pivotal study conducted by Professor Abdul Barakat of Dhaka University revealed that between 1964 and 2013, an estimated 11.3 million Hindus were forced to flee the country due to religious persecution and systematic dispossession. Laws like the Enemies Property Act (Pakistan) and the Vested Property Act (Bangladesh) were designed to dispossess Hindus under the guise of nationalism or land reform. These draconian policies have been used for decades to legally plunder Hindu-owned properties, with millions of families rendered homeless and stateless without recourse or redress. And yet, the global liberal elite, so quick to decry 'Islamophobia" in India, continues to demonstrate a deafening silence when it comes to this religious apartheid. False Equivalences and Intellectual Gaslighting What we instead hear are shrill claims of Muslim oppression in India, based not on institutional disenfranchisement, but often on isolated incidents inflated into sweeping narratives. Meanwhile, the systemic dispossession of Hindus in Islamic states is explained away, or worse, ignored. Consider this – in India, Muslims benefit from exclusive educational scholarships, religious reservations, personal law privileges, and vast land holdings under Waqf Boards, unchecked by Parliament or courts. Bodies like the All India Muslim Personal Law Board act as parallel legal systems, undermining efforts like the Uniform Civil Code in the garb of minority rights. And yet, any mention of these imbalances is branded 'Islamophobic." Meanwhile, no such label exists for ignoring the actual, ongoing erasure of Hindus in neighbouring Islamic republics. The Islamo-Leftist Nexus What explains this hypocrisy? It is the alliance between Islamist politics and leftist intellectual elites, a mutually beneficial arrangement. The Left provides cover for Islamists under the garb of anti-majoritarianism; the Islamists, in turn, help perpetuate the victimhood narrative that fuels leftist politics in democratic setups like India. This axis has succeeded in portraying India's Muslims as oppressed, while remaining eerily silent about the crimes against Hindus committed in the name of Islam just across the border. The result? A distorted moral compass that condemns imagined majoritarianism while enabling real, ongoing theocratic oppression. The Nehruvian Lie India, too, carries historical baggage. For decades, Nehruvian historians like Irfan Habib, Romila Thapar, D N Jha etc (today known as distorians) gave us a whitewashed version of the past, airbrushing centuries of trauma under the guise of 'composite culture" and 'secular harmony." The brutalities of Islamic invasions, the forced conversions, the destruction, desecration and loot of temples, none of it found meaningful space in our textbooks or discourse. This wilful historical amnesia was meant to foster social cohesion, but instead bred historical dishonesty, crippling India's ability to have an honest conversation about religious and historical fault lines. The Case for Intellectual Honesty If human rights are to mean anything, they cannot be filtered through ideological convenience. The world must wake up to the reality that Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh are not just second-class citizens, they are targeted and oppressed minorities whose lives, property, and dignity are under a constant assault. And in India, we must stop pretending that the Muslim minority is uniformly oppressed while Hindu refugees from Pakistan and Bangladesh continue to live in squalor and fear, denied the sympathy freely offered to others. It is time to dismantle the false equivalences and hold all states, not just politically convenient ones, accountable for their treatment of minorities. Justice cannot be selective. Nor can memory. Adit Kothari is a Calcuttan residing in London as a Pravasi Bharatiya, working to dismantle the plethora of false narratives and misinformation against India and Hindutva. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views. view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 22, 2025, 19:11 IST News opinion Opinion | Erased In Silence: How Intelligentsia Ignores Hindu Persecution Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Savarkar remarks: HC refuses to issue directions to Rahul
Mumbai: Bombay high court has declined to issue any direction to opposition leader on his utterances against late Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. "This court cannot issue any direction to respondent no 1 (Gandhi) to study the contents of this public interest litigation and to remove ignorance about the contribution of Shri Vinayak Savarkar,'' said Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The PIL was by Pankaj Phadnis, president of Abhinav Bharat Congress, a policy think tank, saying his legal rights as well as that of a large number of citizens to fulfil their fundamental duty under Article 51A(b) was impeded by Gandhi's statements about Savarkar. Article 51A(b) focuses on the duty 'to cherish and follow noble ideals that inspired our national struggle for freedom.' Phadnis referred to Gandhi's May 28 statement that Savarkar considered Muslims traitors. He referred to a Feb 8, 1944, US consulate interview in which Savarkar said the aim of the Hindu Mahasabha is to preserve the integrity of India and its Hindu character with due regard to the rights of all minorities including the Muslims. "Such a man cannot be considered a traitor," said Phadnis. He said the late PM Indira Gandhi praised Savarkar's daring defiance of the British govt. Phadnis had urged HC to direct Gandhi "to personally go through the contents of this petition …to remove ignorance about the contribution of Savarkar to the…nation and to provide proof of his study by a reasoned reply." The judges asked whether they could compel Gandhi to read his petition. Phadnis said, "Leader of the opposition in a democracy can potentially be tomorrow a prime minister. Such a person with this knowledge will create havoc. He cannot misrepresent and mislead citizens. He is creating confusion." The judges noted that Phadnis' petition was dismissed by the Supreme Court on May 27. A defamation case against Gandhi is pending before a Pune magistrate. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Phadnis can take "recourse to such remedy as may be available in law to ventilate his grievances," the judges said. Phadnis had also urged the Centre to include Savarkar's name in the schedule to the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Use) Act. Declining to issue any direction, the judges said HC cannot issue a writ to the legislature either to amend the law to include Savarkar's name in the schedule.
Hindustan Times
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
‘Savarkar Sadan was granted heritage status 16 years ago'
MUMBAI: The state government's urban development department (UDD) has asked the petitioner in the Savarkar Sadan public interest litigation (PIL) to seek the BMC heritage committee's assent to preserve the building at Shivaji Park in which Hindu Mahasabha leader and Hindutva icon Vinayak Damodar Savarkar lived. The petitioner's response is that the BMC had given its nod to the heritage status proposal 16 years ago, and the government is now playing games. 'Savarkar Sadan was granted heritage status 16 years ago' Subsequent to Hindustan Times' report on May 5 that the building where Savarkar once lived would be demolished and redeveloped, the PIL was filed in the Bombay high court by Pankaj Phadnis, president of the Savarkar-founded Abhinav Bharat Congress. Phadnis is seeking heritage status for Savarkar Sadan, the process of which has been pending with the urban development department since 2011. On Wednesday, in a letter to the BMC commissioner, the UDD advised the latter to call a meeting of the committee to give an opportunity to Phadnis to present his case, and then take a decision based on merit. Phadnis, however, is sceptical of the move. 'The letter ignores that such a meeting has already been held on January 6, 2009, and a record of the same is already part of the PIL filed in May. Consequent to this meeting, the committee had recommended grant of Heritage Structure Grade II A to Savarkar Sadan...,' his response to the department states. Grade II A heritage status pertains to buildings/ precincts of regional/ local importance possessing special architectural/ aesthetic merits or cultural/ historical significance. No modification is allowed to the exteriors of such structures while internal changes and adaptive re-use is allowed, subject to strict scrutiny. In fact, a public notice was also published by the BMC on June 3, 2010, highlighting the proposal to include Savarkar's Shivaji Park residence in the heritage list. No objections were received in response to the notice. 'It is clear that the intent of the latest letter in advising the municipal commissioner to reinvent the wheel is not simply ignorance of past events,' Phadnis' communication to UDD reads. 'It is nothing but a nefarious design to advance the cut-off date from August 30, 2010, to some undefined date in future so as to protect the financial interests of those who have created third-party rights on the plot subsequent to the cut-off date.' Hindustan Times had reported that the builder evincing interest in redeveloping the property was close to a political family that espouses the cause of Marathi. Two plots adjacent to Savarkar Sadan will also be amalgamated in the redevelopment project. These include the plot that houses Laxmi Sadan, once home to the renowned classical vocalist Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki, and a plot facing Shivaji Park. Savarkar Sadan was constructed as a two-storey bungalow in 1938 on a plot measuring around 436.36 square metres. Savarkar, founder of Abhinav Bharat Society, a secret grouping of revolutionaries and a leading figure in the Hindu Mahasabha, lived here. He met several top leaders at the bungalow, including Subhas Chandra Bose in 1940 as well as Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte in 1948 before the duo left for Delhi to assassinate Mahatma Gandhi.
Hans India
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Leaders Honor Syama Prasad Mookerjee On 72nd Death Anniversary
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior BJP leaders commemorated the 72nd death anniversary of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee on June 23, 2025, honoring the founding president of Bharatiya Jana Sangh for his unwavering dedication to national unity. Speaking on the occasion, PM Modi praised Mookerjee's exceptional bravery and determination in preserving India's territorial integrity. The Prime Minister emphasized that Mookerjee's contributions to nation-building continue to inspire reverence across the country. Born in Calcutta in 1901, Mookerjee was a distinguished academic who transitioned into politics in Bengal during pre-independence India. Initially a member of the Hindu Mahasabha, he served in Prime Minister Nehru's first cabinet but resigned in 1950 due to ideological differences with Congress policies. In 1951, Mookerjee collaborated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to establish the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which later evolved into the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is regarded, alongside Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, as one of the BJP's foundational ideologists. Mookerjee was particularly vocal about his opposition to Article 370, which provided special constitutional status to Jammu and Kashmir. He believed this provision hindered the region's complete integration with India and campaigned vigorously for its removal. His principled stance led to his tragic death in 1953. Mookerjee deliberately entered Jammu and Kashmir without the required permit to protest the dual governance system. He was subsequently arrested and died in custody, becoming a martyr for the cause of national unity. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath described Mookerjee as "a distinguished scholar, a great freedom fighter, and a visionary" who dreamed of 'Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat' (One India, Great India). He highlighted Mookerjee's role in shaping India's early industrial policies as the nation's first cabinet minister post-independence. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta honored Mookerjee at the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Park, noting how he "roared like a lion" and championed the slogan 'Ek Vidhan, Ek Samvidhan' (One Law, One Constitution). Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan reflected on the historical significance of Mookerjee's sacrifice, noting that it took 72 years for his vision to be realized. He emphasized that the Modi government's decision to abrogate Article 370 on August 5, 2019, was a fitting tribute to Mookerjee's enduring legacy and his belief in a truly unified India. The minister stated that Mookerjee's fundamental principle - that a country cannot have two separate legal systems and remain truly united - continues to guide the BJP's ideology and India's path toward complete integration.
India Gazette
28-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to visit Goa for 2 days from May 29
New Delhi [India], May 28 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Goa for a two-days scheduled from May 29 to May 30. During his visit, the Defence Minister will interact with the Indian Navy personnel. Earlier in the day, Singh paid tribute to Vinayak Damodar Savarkar on his birth anniversary. Rajnath Singh termed Veer Savarkar as a 'great revolutionary' and 'thinker'. He asserted that Savarkar's 'indomitable courage' and 'dedication' to the nation are exemplary to the countrymen. 'On the birth anniversary of the great revolutionary and thinker Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, I remember and salute him with reverence. His indomitable courage, dedication to the nation and his contribution to the Indian freedom struggle are inspiring. His thoughtfulness and patriotism are exemplary for the countrymen', Rajnath Singh's 'X' post said. Meanwhile, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant hailed Veer Savarkar on his birth anniversary and considered him a 'fearless revolutionary, fiery nationalist and visionary' leader. 'On the birth anniversary of Shri Vinayak Damodar Savarkar proudly hailed as Veer Savarkar, I salute the fearless revolutionary, fiery nationalist & visionary who lit the spark of independence & selfless sacrifice in India's freedom movement', Pramod Sawant posted on his 'X' Damodar Savarkar, popularly known as Veer Savarkar, was born on May 28, 1883, in Nashik. Savarkar was a freedom fighter, politician, lawyer, and writer and was popularly known for coining the term 'Hindutva'. Savarkar was also a leading figure in the 'Hindu Mahasabha.' Savarkar started participating in the freedom movement while still a high school student and continued doing so while attending Fergusson College in Pune. He was greatly influenced by the Nationalist leader, Lokmanya Tilak. He got active with groups like India House and the Free India Society while studying law in the United Kingdom. He also published books that promoted revolutionary methods for achieving total Indian independence. The British colonial authorities outlawed one of his works, 'The Indian War of Independence', which was about the 1857 'Sepoy Mutiny' or the First War of Independence. (ANI)
