Hindu extremist groups on WhatsApp, Facebook use anti-Palestine disinfo to stoke Islamophobia
Supporters of the far-right Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on online spaces, including WhatsApp and Facebook, are stoking Islamophobia by spreading anti-Palestinian disinformation and equating Islam and Indian Muslims with terrorism. This hateful content includes allegations that there are hundreds of “Gaza Strips” within India, claiming Hindus face an imminent “Hamas-like” Islamist attack, and insisting that only Prime Minister Narendra Modi can save India from it. Hindu extremists in these groups have also shared content expressing glee at the deaths of Palestinian civilians, including children.
Armed Hindu extremist mob, including children, rallies on streets in Uttar Pradesh
An armed Hindu extremist mob consisting of hundreds of extremists assembled in Siddharthnagar, Uttar Pradesh state. The mob, which included children carrying swords, proceeded to march through the streets waving Hindu militant flags while chanting war cries and anti-Muslim slogans.
Hindu supremacist leader calls Muslims a “virus” during hate speech event
In Thane, Maharashtra, Hindu supremacist leader Dhananjay Desai delivered a hate speech during which he called Muslims a “virus.” In similar incidents in far-right BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, Hindu extremist leaders Arpit Gupta, Pravin Togadia, and Manoj Kumar delivered hate speech against Muslims, called on Hindus to buy weapons, and encouraged violence against Muslims.
Federal education body recommends replacing India with Bharat in textbooks
A committee set up by the far-right federal government to revise school textbooks has suggested replacing the term “India” with “Bharat” in all social science textbooks up to 12th grade.
Hindu supremacist leaders have been vocal supporters of renaming India as “Bharat”, a name that refers to the Indian subcontinent in ancient Hindu religious texts. Recently, during the G20 summit in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nameplate read “Bharat” instead of India.
