The Indian government was criticized by the Supreme Court of India on Friday, who called for a committee to investigate hate speeches across the country. This comes as communal riots in Nuh district, Haryana, have resulted in the deaths of six people.
Moreover, there was another disturbing incident on a Mumbai-Jaipur train where Railway Protection Force constable Chetan Singh shot his Hindu counterpart and killed three Muslim passengers.
A request for reconsideration was being made to the Supreme Court regarding allegations of “outrageous hate speeches” urging the killing of community members and their social and economic boycott at protests in various states, including Haryana.
The bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti, appearing for the Centre, requested instructions from Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj to provide it with information about the proposed committee by 18 August.
The Supreme Court endorsed a committee established by the Director General of Police (DGP) of Haryana to investigate cases registered in Hariana after the communal riots in Nuh, stressing the importance of community harmony and comity between communities.
“It is imperative for the communities to maintain a sense of harmony and responsibility, and all parties are accountable. I am not sure if this has been overstated, but hate speech is an unacceptable issue that nobody can put up with.”
The highest court, in accordance with its October 21, 2022 judgement, instructed the petitioner, journalist Shaheen Abdullah, to gather all material, including videos, and submit it to the nodal officers appointed in each state.
During the hearing, Nataraj asserted that the Union of India is against hate speeches and emphasizes the need to scrutinize them thoroughly. He admitted that some areas lack a mechanism to combat such attacks.
The top court recognized that hate speeches create a hostile atmosphere and recommended the deployment of adequate police or paramilitary forces, as well as the use of CCTV cameras and video recording techniques in sensitive areas.
The application revealed that over 27 rallies were held in different states after communal clashes in Nuh in Haryana, despite the ruling of the highest court, and hate speeches were given.
A video that appeared on social media on August 2, 2023 showed a procession by the ‘Samhast Hindu Samaj’ walking through southwestern Haryana. The video showed police officials cautioning locals and shopkeepers to stop using Muslims after 2 days of prohibition.
The petitioner has appealed to the Commissioner of Police, Delhi and Director General of police of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and other authorities to take appropriate action and prohibit the holding of such rallies.
The August 2 order was approved by the top court in response to 23 demonstrations organized by Hindu Right groups Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal in different regions of the National Capital Region (NCR) due to Haryana clashes, as reported by senior advocate C U Singh, who acted on behalf of Abdullah.
The death toll rose to six after the communal clashes that began in Nuh when a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession was attacked by mobs. The communal fighting eventually spread to Gurugram and other areas near the national capital.
(With the inclusion of PTI inputs)