“There is no such thing as a coincidence. It’s all connected.”
Insult after insult to the Hindu faith has been happening in AP for the last few years. The latest one is the attempt to disrupt the Shobha Yatra in Nellore on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti. On April 24, Hindu devotees and organizations organized Shobha Yatra in Nellore after taking prior permission from the police and administration after informing them about the route and timings. More than 15000 Hindus participated in the peaceful celebration along the Taluka Road, the main street in Nellore. The devotees were moving in front of the mosque, and suddenly a mob in the mosque became violent. The radicals raised Islamist slogans, threatened Hindus and made obscene gestures by showing middle fingers at Hindu devotees.
Alarming Situation witnessed by Hindus yest’day in Nellore when stone pelting happened from Illegal mosque on ‘Hanuman Sobha Yatra’ also beer bottle was thrown on idol!
Shame !
Mr @ysjagan How long are you going to test the patience of Hindus?
AP need #buldozerjustice@HMOIndia pic.twitter.com/RbcsUPj1QB— Sunil Deodhar (@Sunil_Deodhar) April 25, 2022
Allegedly a glass bottle was thrown at the Hanuman idol. They tried to come out of the mosque and disrupt the procession. Police intervened and stopped the angry mob from coming out of the mosque. Some audio tapes have surfaced in which Islam religious heads were asking to boycott the purchase of articles from Shubhamasthu and Kandukuru shopping malls as the owners were a part of the Shobha Yatra.
It is very unfortunate that few Muslim's of AP are asking for social boycott of Hindus shop, if this pattern will followed by evn Hindus then worst situation will be faced by minority community for which we will not vouch…
Spoke at @CNNnews18 @AnchorAnandN pic.twitter.com/1o5LNhbCZz
— Sunil Deodhar (@Sunil_Deodhar) April 26, 2022
Anti-Hindu activities in AP
This is not the first event in AP. Several incidents insulting Hindus happened in AP in recent days.
On April 16, Shobha Yatra was organized by Hindu devotees on Hanuman Jayanti in Alur, Kurnool district. Similarly, when the procession was going in front of the mosque, a radical mob raised Islamic slogans and attacked Hindu devotees. Stones were pelted, and nearly 10 Hindu devotees were injured. Police stopped Shobha yatra. Cases were filed against 48 Muslims and 42 Hindus, including BJP and VHP leaders.
On January 26, Police arrested Hindu Yuva Vahini youth for trying to unfurl the national flag on Jinnah tower, Guntur citing disturbances of communal harmony.
On January 08, communal riots broke out in Atmakur, Kurnool. When local Hindus objected to the illegal construction of a mosque in a Hindu dominant area adjacent to a school, a radical Islamic mob chased them. Local Hindus and a few BJP leaders rushed to the police station to lodge a complaint. Within hours, thousands of radical Islamists besieged the police station, threatened to kill them, raised Islamic slogans, pelted stones, and burnt police and BJP leader vehicles till 3 AM. A police constable was involved in this violence against Hindus. The paradox is state government filed charges of an attempt to murder on the Hindus and BJP leaders who were forced to go to the police station to save their lives. SP of Kurnool later revealed the involvement of terror outfit SDPI in these riots and added camps were organized by the terror outfit.
On June 20, 2021, ruling YSCRP government MLA Siva Prasad Reddy and Muslim leaders did Bhoomi Pooja to install the Tipu Sultan statue in Proddutur, Kadapa, illegally without permission. After uproar from the public and BJP, the unconstitutional decision was withdrawn.
On December 29, 2020, the 400-year-old Lord Rama idol was beheaded in Ramatheertham.
400 years Old Ramatheertham Temple Near Nellimarla, Vizianagaram in #AndhraPradesh.
The temple has an ancient idol of Lord Ram which was beheaded by miscreants on Tuesday morning.
Very sad. It's time for every Hindu to unite. #SaveHinduTemples #Ramatheertham pic.twitter.com/rCLVuaOzxc— 𝕵𝖊𝖊𝖛𝖆𝖓 𝕻𝖆𝖙𝖓𝖆𝖎𝖐 (@JeevanPatnaik2) January 3, 2021
On July 06, 2020, the Century-old chariot of Sri Laxmi Narayana Swamy temple was burnt in Antarvedi, East Godavari district.
On February 14, 2020 chariot of 850-year-old Sri Prasanna Venkateshwara Swamy temple at Konda Bitragunta in Nellore was burnt.
The anti-Hindu stance of the government
One minister over Lord Hanuman Idol’s desecration said, “Did Lord Hanuman say that he is hurt? It is not made out of stone and can be made again.”
When a wall in a Christian cemetery was slightly damaged, the home minister, with folded hands, requested Christians to excuse and said the interests of minorities would be safeguarded in AP and such incidents shall not repeat. Culprits were not caught in Ramtheertham vandalism, but cases were filed, and 20 Hindu devotees, including BJP leaders, were arrested for demanding a fair enquiry.
More than 500 cases of vandalism on temples have been registered, and no case has been solved properly. In most of the solved cases, the miscreant was an insane person.
This is the only government in India which
- Pays salaries to pastors and imams with taxpayers’ money
- Builds churches using the panchayat raj department
- Gives lands to Imams
- Uses endowment funds for government schemes
- Pays for Haj and Jerusalem pilgrimage tours
- Uses Temple properties for covid care and administrative offices
Hinduphobia is a reality
Anyone asking the government to take strict actions to catch the perpetrators and avoid attacks on the Hindu faith will be labelled a religious fascist by the ruling YSCRP government. The ruling government does not condemn such attacks and can not tolerate those condemning anti-Hindu activities. Secularism defines the equal treatment of all religions. The AP government redefined secularism as ill-treatment of Hindus and remaining silent when the Hindu faith is insulted and attacked. The series of events which happened show that radical Islamic groups were emboldened due to such anti-Hindu attitude and stance of the ruling YSRCP government. This is against the principles of the constitution, which stands for equal treatment of all religions. Such anti-social radical elements will disturb communal harmony and create obstacles to the nation’s progress.
“Sarva Dharma Sama Bhaava–All religions are equal.”
(The writer is a State Executive Member, State media panellist and State In-charge of Policy and Research)
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