Maharashtra: Group of citizens claim hate speeches made at conclave in Thane

A group of citizens and organisations have claimed that communal and hate spewing speeches were made at a conclave organised by a right wing outfit in Maharashtra's Thane district last month and complained to police seeking action against the speakers.

According to a report of PTI, A memorandum dated May 5 and submitted by the group to the Thane police commissioner took a dim view of the event organised in Mumbra area here by the Sakal Hindu Samaj on April 30.

It said many speakers were seen participating in the event, espousing a hard, right-wing, exclusionist ideology and delivering incendiary and inciteful speeches through which they specifically targeted Muslim citizens and the community.

A total of five speakers were heard delivering anti-Muslim speeches, videos of which have gone viral, said the memorandum submitted by organisations including the National Alliance for People's Movements and the Citizens for Justice and Peace Mumbai.

It claimed the speakers made misinformed and offensive claims against the minority community, its history and their culture. We would like to bring your attention to these instigating speeches, urging you to take stringent action against the perpetrators, as if these hate-driven speeches are left unchecked, the peace and harmony of our country will be affected direly, the memorandum said.

We are relying on the recent Supreme Court's order of April 28 and February 3, and other orders on the issue of hate speech, the history and politics of the people attached to this organisation, and the communally divisive issues that Sakal Hindu Samaj advocates for, the memorandum said. 

Such gatherings where inegalitarian, divisive and stigmatising words are uttered and mobs provoked, violate the fundamental rights guaranteed to all Indians under the Constitution and are in violation of provisions of the Indian criminal law, it said.