Latest news with #Savarkar
News18
a day 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.
Hindustan Times
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
HC rejects PIL on Rahul Gandhi's comments on Savarkar
MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Tuesday rejected a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging that Congress leader and the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had made 'immature and irresponsible' remarks about Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. The petitioner Pankaj Phadnis, co-founder of Abhinav Bharat Congress, had also urged the court to include Savarkar's name in the schedule to the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act. HC rejects PIL on Rahul Gandhi's comments on Savarkar The Supreme Court had, on May 27, rejected a similar petition filed by Phadnis, which contended that Gandhi was violating fundamental duties by making comments against Savarkar. In the PIL filed in the high court, Phadnis complained about Gandhi's remark dated May 28, 2025, when he said that Savarkar considered Muslims and Christians as traitors. Legal proceedings were initiated to ensure that the distorted history peddled by Gandhi and his cohorts was corrected and young Indians knew true facts about their past, the petition said. Disposing of the petition, the division bench of chief justice Alok Aradhe and justice Sandeep Marne raised questions on how the court could compel the respondent to read Phadnis' petition. It suggested the petitioner seek legal recourse by filing a defamation suit against Gandhi, if needed. A special MP/MLA court in Pune is already hearing a criminal defamation case against Gandhi filed by Satyaki Savarkar, grand nephew of Vinayak Savarkar.
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.
The Hindu
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Bombay High Court dismisses petition against Rahul Gandhi over remarks on Savarkar
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday (July 15, 2025) rejected and refused to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) petition alleging that Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi violated the petitioner's rights by making 'immature' remarks about Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. The petition sought the court to issue directions to the Congress leader that he should read his petition and learn about Savarkar before making 'irresponsible' statements. The 125-page petition, filed by Professor Pankaj K. Phadnis, 65, from Mumbai and the founding president of Abhinav Bharat Congress, a public policy think tank, mentioned history and research work by the petitioner on Savarkar. The petitioner said that Mr. Gandhi, in London in March 2023, had tried to paint Savarkar as someone who takes pleasure in the humiliation of Muslims. He further said that Mr. Gandhi tried to portray Savarkar as a coward and in a derogatory reference at a press conference held on March 25, 2023, where he said, 'My name is not Savarkar, I am Gandhi and Gandhi does not make apologies to anyone.' 'Rahul Gandhi is LoP in Lok Sabha and could well become Prime Minister of India in the future. Therefore, he cannot be allowed to take liberties with facts to denigrate respected leaders of freedom struggle and prevent the young from being in a position to fulfil their fundamental duties. The only way to prevent him from causing harm to the nation is by an expert such as the petitioner to step into the box, depose comprehensive facts about Shri Savarkar and allow himself to be cross examined by Rahul Gandhi to establish facts once and for all,' the petitioner said, asking the court to direct Mr. Gandhi to read the contents of his petition and learn about Savarkar. A Division Bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne observed that the Supreme Court had already dismissed a similar petition filed by Mr. Phadnis and said that the court could not direct Mr. Gandhi to read the contents of the petition and remove his ignorance about Vinayak Savarkar. 'In your petition, your prayer is to direct him to personally study and read your petition. How can the court compel him to read your petition? This court cannot issue directions to Rahul Gandhi to study the contents of this petition and remove ignorance about the contribution of Savarkar. We do not know if he will become Prime Minister or not. Do you know that he will become the Prime Minister?' the Bench noted and disposed of the petition. The court noted that a criminal defamation case had already been filed against Mr. Gandhi by Satyaki Savarkar, grand nephew of Vinayak Savarkar, and that the same was pending before a special MP/MLA Court in Pune.
India Today
15-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
You know he will become PM? Court berates petitioner over Rahul Gandhi plea
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday refused to entertain a plea seeking directions to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi that he read up and enlighten himself about Hindutva leader Veer petitioner, Pankaj Kumudchandra Phadnis, who is founder president of an organisation called Abhinav Bharat Congress, pointed out that Gandhi's "immature and irresponsible" statements about Savarkar were creating a lot of confusion. Phadnis claimed to be a researcher on bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne asked, "In your petition, your prayer is to direct him to personally study and read your petition. How can the court compel him to read your petition?" To this, the petitioner replied, "He is LOP (Leader of the Opposition) and he is creating confusion. If he becomes Prime Minister, then he will create havoc."The court shot back, "We don't know. You know he will become Prime Minister?"However, the bench noted that the petitioner had the legal remedy to file a defamation case against bench also noted that Veer Savarkar's grandnephew had already approached a magistrate court in Pune with a defamation complaint and a trial was already underway on the same bench also noted that the petitioner had approached the Supreme Court earlier this year, which had dismissed his the Supreme Court, Phadnis sought the inclusion of Savarkar's name in the schedule of Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 - a law intended to prevent the improper use of certain emblems and names for professional and commercial April, the Supreme Court came down heavily on Gandhi over his alleged objectionable remarks against Savarkar, saying that the court won't allow such comments against freedom his Bharat Jodo Yatra in 2022, Gandhi allegedly referred to Savarkar as a "British servant" who received a pension from the colonial government.- EndsMust Watch
