Kajal Hindustani, a Gujarat based right wing activist has become Hindutva’s latest icon with her hate speeches being circulated widely amongst hardcore Hindus who perceive her as a strong “nationalistic” voice.
Meanwhile, a lower court in Gujarat’s Gir Somnath district on Tuesday reserved its order on a bail plea filed by right-wing activist Kajal Hindustani in a case of a hate speech that she delivered in Una on Ram Navami that caused a communal clash in the sensitive town. The Una function was organised by Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
Kajal Hindustani is a right wing activist who openly instigated Hindu youth present in huge numbers at the Ram Navmi function to “marry more Muslim girls” and then elucidated reasons for her statement. She claimed in her hate speech how Muslim girls will be safe, not sexually harassed by her extended family, will not have to face multiple wives of their husbands and similar reasons as a large number of youth gathered for the function cheered her up. Local BJP MLA of Una.K C Rathod shared the stage with her at the function.
This is not something new for Kajal for she has spoken all this before. But her speech disturbed communal harmony in Una. Una was in the news flogging of dalits in 2016, Seven dalits were publicly thrashed in presence of Gujarat policemen on suspicion that they had killed a cow. Actually, the poor dalits skinning the carcasses of a dead cow in Mota Samadhiyala village near Una in Gir Somnath district of Gujarat state of India.
Kajal Hindustani was invited this year by the VHP . Kajal’s specialty is anti Muslim rhetoric with love jihad and land jihad being her pet topics.
The court of additional sessions judge R M Asodiya reserved its order on Hindustani’s bail plea for April 13, additional public prosecutor Moham Gohel told Vibes of India.
Gujarat Police arrested Kajal after several complaints about her hate speech in Una. The state government opposed the bail plea citing that the activist’s speech on Ram Navami hurt the sentiments of the Muslim community and subsequently led to the communal clash, Gohel said.
Hindustani had moved sessions court on Monday after a court of additional chief judicial magistrate rejected her bail and sent her to 14-day judicial custody after she surrendered on April 9, Sunday, more than a week after she delivered the hate speech.
Hindustani’s speech on Ram Navami festival on March 30 caused a communal clash in Una town on April 1. The police lodged an FIR against her on April 2 under sections 153 (provocation with intent to cause riot) and 295 A (deliberate or malicious act intending to outrage religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Hindustani is a Gujarati living in Jamnagar. She claims that she is not a primary member of the Bharatiya Janata Party but a die hard Hindu. Prime Minister Narendra Modi follows her. Kajal describes herself as an entrepreneur, research analyst, debater, social activist, and nationalist and a “proud Indian” on her Twitter bio and has over 92,000 followers including many BJP leaders.
A good orator Kajal who now identifies herself as Kajal Hindustani dropping her last name Shingala is married and settled in Jamnagar. With the latest Una hate speech, Kajal is now being described as the latest icon of muscular Hindutva.
Her arrest by Gujarat police has sparked a controversy in Gujarat where die hard Modi fans are lobbying that she should not have been arrested because “she just spoke the truth”.
Subramaniam Swamy also tweeted today asking why Kajal Hindustani was in jail when what she said is not an offence that requires judicial custody. He claimed that she would be freed by the Supreme Court.
BJP MLA K.C. Rathod admitted to Vibes of India that he did share the stage with her but said he had no idea that she would indulge in such rhetoric that would invite her arrest. He said he was invited by VHP and “how would I know what others are going to talk about in their speeches”.
Right leaning groups in Gujarat have been criticising Gujarat police for arresting Kajal and demanding her immediate release. The police had not sought her remand saying all that she said was already in public domain.
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