Saffron Terror
Encyclopedia
Saffron terror is a controversial phrase used to describe acts of Right-wing terrorism
in India, allegedly inspired by Hindu nationalism
. The phrase "saffron terror" is a neologism which entered public debate in India following the 29 September 2008 western India bombings
.
The Home Minister of India, P. Chidambaram
urged Indians to beware of "Saffron terror" on August 25, 2010 at a meeting of state police chiefs in New Delhi. This was the first time the word was "officially" used by the UPA
government., though it is used also by other ministers of the UPA Government. The term is referred to for right wing religious fundamentalists in India, as per the Union Home Minister of India.
, Mecca Masjid bombing (Hyderabad), Samjhauta Express bombings and the Ajmer Sharif Dargah Blast.
, in his confession, also admitted the involvement of former RSS members and the Inter-Services Intelligence
in the blast. His lawyer claimed that the confession was made under "extreme pressure".
, an Indian army officer and member of Hindu nationalist group Abhinav Bharat. Wikileaks reports name David Headley as behind the Samjhauta attacks. On January 8, 2011, Swami Aseemanand allegedly confessed that Saffron terror outfits were behind the bombing of Samjhauta express, a statement later alleged to be obtained under duress. His confessions included allegations that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence
(ISI) was supporting the activities logistically. On March 31, 2011 Aseemanand redacted his confession, citing government pressure. Security analyst B. Raman has termed this investigation as a "partisan political game.".
On July 18, 2011 Swami Aseemanand further unveiled that NIA had fabricated evidence against him and his arrest was illegal. He further alleged that he was tortured to give wrong statements. On November 29, 2011 the Punjab and Haryana High Court
issued notice to the NIA on a petition filed by Swami Aseemanand.
A 4,000-page chargesheet, filed by Maharashtra Anti- Terrorism Squad (ATS) before the Special MCOCA court here, stated that Purohit joined the right-wing Hindu group Abhinav Bharat in 2007 with an alleged intention to ‘propagate a separate Hindu Rashtra with its own Constitution’. According to the document, the Army officer allegedly collected ‘huge amounts’ to the tune of Rs 21 lakh for himself and Abhinav Bharat to promote his "fundamentalist ideology."
It was in the aftermath of the September 29 bomb blast in the predominantly Muslim town of Malegaon in Maharashtra
that the alleged terms Saffron Terror and Hindutva Terror came to be used widely in various medias.
However, the accused parties confessed to police on narco-analysis that a group of Muslim individuals was used to obtain the RDX used in the blast.
However, Purohit allegedly admitted that a splinter group with tenuous ties to him had executed two blasts in India, which prompted investigators to look into the blasts in Ajmer and Hyderabad.
Three men accused of the 2006 Malegaon bombings, including Lt Col Shrikant Purohit
of the India army and Pragya Singh Thakur
, have been described as representing Saffron terror.
Purohit
was also accused of being involved in the 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings
until the role of Pakistani terrorist Asif Zamani was unearthed. A United States Department of the Treasury
report links these bombings to Lashkar-e-Taiba
and Al-Qaeda
.
-led central government has claimed that Abhinav Bharat
was behind the Mecca Masjid bombing, the South Asia Terrorism Portal, the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
, the United States
, and the United Nations
have asserted that the Islamic outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami was actually behind the attacks. Noting this, security analyst Bahukutumbi Raman
has questioned "the two different versions that have emerged from Indian and American investigators." On September 22, 2010 a report submitted by the United States National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) to the United States Department of Homeland Security
, named HuJi responsible for the blasts. The CBI claimed in their response that the NCTC "do not seem to be updated with developments in the case"
Swami Aseemanand confessed in January 2011 that he and other Hindu activists were involved in bombings at Muslim religious places(including the mecca masjid). Hyderabad was chosen because the Nizam of Hyderabad wanted to opt for Pakistan at the time of partition. However his lawyer claimed that confession was obtained under pressure.
have recently been alleged to have been involved in a plot to kill Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
President Mohan Bhagwat
. allegedly with the help of Pakistan
's Inter-Services Intelligence
. Headlines Today released a recorded video tested by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory
which indicated the uncovering of an alleged plot to assassinate the Vice President of India Hamid Ansari. Tehelka also released alleged audio tapes transcripts of main conspirators of Abhinav Bharat which indicated involvement of Military intelligence officers with the Abhinav Bharat
group in their January 2011 edition.
According to some released documents by WikiLeaks
, Congress(I) party's general secretary Rahul Gandhi remarked to US Ambassador Timothy Roemer, at a luncheon hosted by Prime Minister of India at his residence in July 2009, that R.S.S. posed a 'bigger threat' to India than the Lashkar-e-Tayiba
. RSS mouthpiece Panchjanya said that the statement indicated his lack of understanding of Hindutva & concept of nationalism and part of a pre-planned move.
At The Annual Conference of Director General of Police held in New Delhi on 16th September 2011, a special director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) reportedly informed the state police chiefs that the Hindutva activists have either been suspected or are under investigation in 16 incidents of bomb blasts in the country.
Two persons with alleged links to the Hindutva organization Sanatan Sanstha
were sentenced to 10 years in jail for planting explosives and causing an explosion in various theatres in Thane
and Vasai.
However it was in the aftermath of the September 29, 2008 bomb blast in the predominantly Muslim town of Malegaon
in Maharashtra
that these terms came to be used widely.
In late 2008, Indian police arrested members of a Hindu radical cell allegedly involved in an attack Malegaon
which killed 7 Muslim
s. For incidents like these, Saffron terror has been used synonymously with "Anti-Muslim terrorism" or "Anti-Muslim reprisals".
The current Home Minister of India, P. Chidambaram
urged Indians to beware of "Saffron terror" on August 25, 2010 at a meeting of state police chiefs in New Delhi. This was the first time the word was "officially" used by the Government of India
. Since making the remark, a Hindu Swami
in the Patan district
has filed a defamation lawsuit
against Chidambaram, on the grounds that the saffron
color is a conventional Hindu symbol and worn regularly by Hindu religious clergy, and that Chidambaram has hurt the sentiments of Hindus by linking the symbol to terrorism. Chidambaram responded by stating "I cannot claim patent on the phrase." On September 6, 2010 a Gujarat court ordered a probe into the use of the term by Chidambaram. Chidambaram was also criticized by members of his own party (the Indian National Congress
) for the use of the term, with Congress spokesman Janardhan Dwivedi claiming "terrorism does not have any colour other than black".
, who claims that the term is an invention of the Indian National Congress
party to demonize their political opposition as "terrorists". Bahukutumbi Raman
, a former head of the Research and Analysis Wing
, criticized the term as a tool for political posturing toward the Muslim minority. Similar views have been expressed by other journalists in India Kanchan Gupta
and Swapan Dasgupta
, have accused investigators of leaking statements about saffron terror to the media to promote the agenda of the Indian National Congress
,. B. Raman accused the media of measuring Muslim and Hindu suspects by different yardsticks
The BJP's former president, Rajnath Singh
, has denounced claims of Hindu terrorists as "vilification of Hindu saints and army officers in the name of Hindu terrorism".
In 2010, the internet whistleblower
organization Wikileaks
released documents attesting to some leaders of the Indian National Congress
alleging involved of Hindu right-wing groups in the death of ATS chief Hemant Karkare during the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks
. The cable concluded that such allegations were being used for electoral gains. The term "Saffron Terror" was prominently used by some Congress party members in this campaign, most prominently by Digvijay Singh
. The Bharatiya Janata Party
criticised these statements and filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India citing it as a violation of the Model Code of Conduct for guidance of political parties. The Election Commission issued a show-cause notice to Digvijay Singh
on this complaint . Hindu spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
has also criticized the usage of the term, saying that it is a myth and insult to Hindu religion, which he said is the most tolerant religion.
The main opposition party BJP accused the government of targeting Hindus. BJP leader M M Joshi said that the Congress had itself set up a committee ahead of independence to consider what the national flag should look like and saffron was the colour chosen by it and that Saffron is a part of Indian heritage. MPs of another party Shiv Sena rushed into the well demanding an apology from the home minister and later staged a walkout. Ram Madhav, a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's national executive, Home Minister made it a point to single it out by not making reference to any other terror in the country by name. In his address he didn't talk about jihadi or Islamic terror, didn't utter the word red terror except a vague reference to Left wing extremism towards the end and questioned how a couple of sporadic cases that took place during a period of 14 months, that have happened between August 2007 and Malegaon become a phenomenon? He also pointed out that 'security bureaucracy' could be acting at the behest of their political masters seemed to be behind creating saffron terror.
Right-wing terrorism
Right-wing terrorism draws its inspiration from a variety of ideologies and beliefs, including neo-fascism, neo-Nazism, racism, opposition to foreigners and immigration, and religion. Incidents of this type of terrorism have been widespread, but often lack international cooperation...
in India, allegedly inspired by Hindu nationalism
Hindu nationalism
Hindu nationalism has been collectively referred to as the expressions of social and political thought, based on the native spiritual and cultural traditions of historical India...
. The phrase "saffron terror" is a neologism which entered public debate in India following the 29 September 2008 western India bombings
29 September 2008 western India bombings
In the 29 September 2008 Western India bombings, three bombs exploded in the States of Gujarat and Maharashtra of India killing 8 persons and injuring 80...
.
The Home Minister of India, P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram or Chidambaram Palaniappan, sometimes written Palaniappan Chidambaram is an Indian politician with the Indian National Congress and present Union Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of India. Previously he was the Finance Minister of India from May 2004 to November 2008...
urged Indians to beware of "Saffron terror" on August 25, 2010 at a meeting of state police chiefs in New Delhi. This was the first time the word was "officially" used by the UPA
Upa
Upa or UPA may refer to:As the word Upa*Upa, central character in the video game Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa *Bridge in Brazilian jiu jitsu, a move designed to dislodge a mounted opponent...
government., though it is used also by other ministers of the UPA Government. The term is referred to for right wing religious fundamentalists in India, as per the Union Home Minister of India.
Investigations and allegations
Hindu extremist organisations have been alleged to be involved in terrorist attacks including 2006 Malegaon blasts2006 Malegaon blasts
The 2006 Malegaon bombings were a series of bomb blasts that took place on 8 September 2006 in Malegaon, a town in the Nashik district of the Indian state of Maharashtra, located at some 290 km to the northeast of state capital Mumbai....
, Mecca Masjid bombing (Hyderabad), Samjhauta Express bombings and the Ajmer Sharif Dargah Blast.
Investigation of Ajmer Dargah Blast
A blast shook the sufi shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer on Thursday at 6:20 pm, leaving two dead and eleven injured. The blast was initially blamed on the Pakistani terrorist group LeT. However, in 2010, The ATS arrested five individuals for the blast, four of whom were members of the Hindu Nationalist group RSS. Swami AseemanandSwami Aseemanand
Swami Aseemanand is a former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activist from India who is accused of planning terror attacks on Ajmer Sharif, Mecca Masjid, 2006 Malegaon blasts and 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings. The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested Aseemanand on November 19, 2010 for his...
, in his confession, also admitted the involvement of former RSS members and the Inter-Services Intelligence
Inter-Services Intelligence
The Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence , is Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, responsible for providing critical national security intelligence assessment to the Government of Pakistan...
in the blast. His lawyer claimed that the confession was made under "extreme pressure".
Investigation of Samjhauta Express bombing
Initially the primary suspects of the bombing were considered to be Pakistan-based terror groups like the LeT and the JeM. In November 2008, it was reported that Indian officials also suspected the attacks were linked to Prasad Shrikant PurohitPrasad Shrikant Purohit
Lt. Col. Shrikant Prasad Purohit is an Indian Army officer who is accused of charges of terrorism, as the alleged chief architect of the 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings. The attack took place on the Samjhauta Express, a train that connects Lahore, Pakistan with Delhi, the capital of India...
, an Indian army officer and member of Hindu nationalist group Abhinav Bharat. Wikileaks reports name David Headley as behind the Samjhauta attacks. On January 8, 2011, Swami Aseemanand allegedly confessed that Saffron terror outfits were behind the bombing of Samjhauta express, a statement later alleged to be obtained under duress. His confessions included allegations that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence
Inter-Services Intelligence
The Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence , is Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, responsible for providing critical national security intelligence assessment to the Government of Pakistan...
(ISI) was supporting the activities logistically. On March 31, 2011 Aseemanand redacted his confession, citing government pressure. Security analyst B. Raman has termed this investigation as a "partisan political game.".
On July 18, 2011 Swami Aseemanand further unveiled that NIA had fabricated evidence against him and his arrest was illegal. He further alleged that he was tortured to give wrong statements. On November 29, 2011 the Punjab and Haryana High Court
Punjab and Haryana High Court
Punjab and Haryana High Court is a common High Court for both the States of Punjab and Haryana and Union territory of Chandigarh, in India. It is situated at Chandigarh, the capital of the States of Punjab and Haryana. The sanctioned strenghth of this High Court is 68 judges consisting of Chief...
issued notice to the NIA on a petition filed by Swami Aseemanand.
Investigation of 2008 Malegaon blasts
Police filed a chargesheet that named Indian Army officer Lt Col Prasad Purohit as the alleged main conspirator who provided the explosives, and Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur as the alleged prime accused who arranged for the men who planted the explosives.A 4,000-page chargesheet, filed by Maharashtra Anti- Terrorism Squad (ATS) before the Special MCOCA court here, stated that Purohit joined the right-wing Hindu group Abhinav Bharat in 2007 with an alleged intention to ‘propagate a separate Hindu Rashtra with its own Constitution’. According to the document, the Army officer allegedly collected ‘huge amounts’ to the tune of Rs 21 lakh for himself and Abhinav Bharat to promote his "fundamentalist ideology."
It was in the aftermath of the September 29 bomb blast in the predominantly Muslim town of Malegaon in Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
that the alleged terms Saffron Terror and Hindutva Terror came to be used widely in various medias.
However, the accused parties confessed to police on narco-analysis that a group of Muslim individuals was used to obtain the RDX used in the blast.
However, Purohit allegedly admitted that a splinter group with tenuous ties to him had executed two blasts in India, which prompted investigators to look into the blasts in Ajmer and Hyderabad.
Three men accused of the 2006 Malegaon bombings, including Lt Col Shrikant Purohit
Prasad Shrikant Purohit
Lt. Col. Shrikant Prasad Purohit is an Indian Army officer who is accused of charges of terrorism, as the alleged chief architect of the 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings. The attack took place on the Samjhauta Express, a train that connects Lahore, Pakistan with Delhi, the capital of India...
of the India army and Pragya Singh Thakur
Pragya Singh Thakur
Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur is an Indian woman accused of orchestrating the Malegaon blasts of 2008 and is currently awaiting trial.- Early life :...
, have been described as representing Saffron terror.
Purohit
Prasad Shrikant Purohit
Lt. Col. Shrikant Prasad Purohit is an Indian Army officer who is accused of charges of terrorism, as the alleged chief architect of the 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings. The attack took place on the Samjhauta Express, a train that connects Lahore, Pakistan with Delhi, the capital of India...
was also accused of being involved in the 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings
2007 Samjhauta Express bombings
The 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings were a terrorist attack that occurred around midnight on 18 February 2007 on the Samjhauta Express, a twice-weekly train service connecting Delhi, India, and Lahore, Pakistan. Bombs were set off in two carriages, both filled with passengers, just after the train...
until the role of Pakistani terrorist Asif Zamani was unearthed. A United States Department of the Treasury
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
report links these bombings to Lashkar-e-Taiba
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Lashkar-e-Taiba – also transliterated as Lashkar-i-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Lashkar-i-Taiba, Lashkar Taiba or LeT – is one of the largest and most active militant Islamist terrorist organizations in South Asia, operating mainly from Pakistan.It was founded by Hafiz Muhammad...
and Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
.
Investigation of Mecca Masjid bombing
While the United Progressive AllianceUnited Progressive Alliance
The United Progressive Alliance is a ruling coalition of center-left political parties heading the government of India. The coalition is led by the Indian National Congress , which is currently the single largest political party in the Lok Sabha...
-led central government has claimed that Abhinav Bharat
Abhinav Bharat
Abhinav Bharat can refer to two organizations one of which is an Hindu nationalist organisation based mainly in Maharashtra in India. The Hindu nationalist organization gained prominence when its members were arrested for allegedly perpetrating the Malegoan bombing...
was behind the Mecca Masjid bombing, the South Asia Terrorism Portal, the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses , New Delhi is India's premier think tank for advanced research in international relations, especially strategic and security issues, and also trains civilian and military officers of the Government of India. Established in 1965, IDSA is funded by but...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
have asserted that the Islamic outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami was actually behind the attacks. Noting this, security analyst Bahukutumbi Raman
Bahukutumbi Raman
Bahukutumbi Raman is a former Additional Secretary , Cabinet Secretariat of the Government of India and former head of the counter-terrorism division of India's external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing . He is currently the director of the Institute for Topical Studies, Chennai...
has questioned "the two different versions that have emerged from Indian and American investigators." On September 22, 2010 a report submitted by the United States National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) to the United States Department of Homeland Security
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...
, named HuJi responsible for the blasts. The CBI claimed in their response that the NCTC "do not seem to be updated with developments in the case"
Swami Aseemanand confessed in January 2011 that he and other Hindu activists were involved in bombings at Muslim religious places(including the mecca masjid). Hyderabad was chosen because the Nizam of Hyderabad wanted to opt for Pakistan at the time of partition. However his lawyer claimed that confession was obtained under pressure.
Other allegations
Members of Abhinav BharatAbhinav Bharat
Abhinav Bharat can refer to two organizations one of which is an Hindu nationalist organisation based mainly in Maharashtra in India. The Hindu nationalist organization gained prominence when its members were arrested for allegedly perpetrating the Malegoan bombing...
have recently been alleged to have been involved in a plot to kill Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or National Patriotic Organization), also known the Sangh, is a right-wing Hindu nationalist, paramilitary, volunteer, and allegedly militant organization for Hindu males in India...
President Mohan Bhagwat
Mohan Bhagwat
Mohan Madhukar Bhagawat is a veterinary doctor and the current Sarsanghachalak, since 2009, of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He is seen as a pragmatic leader. He was chosen by K S Sudarshan as his successor upon his retirement.-Early life:...
. allegedly with the help of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
's Inter-Services Intelligence
Inter-Services Intelligence
The Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence , is Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, responsible for providing critical national security intelligence assessment to the Government of Pakistan...
. Headlines Today released a recorded video tested by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory
Central Forensic Science Laboratory
The Central Forensic Science Laboratory is a wing of the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs, which fulfills the forensic requirements in the country...
which indicated the uncovering of an alleged plot to assassinate the Vice President of India Hamid Ansari. Tehelka also released alleged audio tapes transcripts of main conspirators of Abhinav Bharat which indicated involvement of Military intelligence officers with the Abhinav Bharat
Abhinav Bharat
Abhinav Bharat can refer to two organizations one of which is an Hindu nationalist organisation based mainly in Maharashtra in India. The Hindu nationalist organization gained prominence when its members were arrested for allegedly perpetrating the Malegoan bombing...
group in their January 2011 edition.
According to some released documents by WikiLeaks
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
, Congress(I) party's general secretary Rahul Gandhi remarked to US Ambassador Timothy Roemer, at a luncheon hosted by Prime Minister of India at his residence in July 2009, that R.S.S. posed a 'bigger threat' to India than the Lashkar-e-Tayiba
Lashkar-e-Toiba
Lashkar-e-Taiba – also transliterated as Lashkar-i-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Lashkar-i-Taiba, Lashkar Taiba or LeT – is one of the largest and most active militant Islamist terrorist organizations in South Asia, operating mainly from Pakistan.It was founded by Hafiz Muhammad...
. RSS mouthpiece Panchjanya said that the statement indicated his lack of understanding of Hindutva & concept of nationalism and part of a pre-planned move.
At The Annual Conference of Director General of Police held in New Delhi on 16th September 2011, a special director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) reportedly informed the state police chiefs that the Hindutva activists have either been suspected or are under investigation in 16 incidents of bomb blasts in the country.
Organizations and alleged people
The following organizations are alleged to be involved in acts of terrorism attributable to Hindu nationalism:- Abhinav BharatAbhinav BharatAbhinav Bharat can refer to two organizations one of which is an Hindu nationalist organisation based mainly in Maharashtra in India. The Hindu nationalist organization gained prominence when its members were arrested for allegedly perpetrating the Malegoan bombing...
- Notable members: Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt. Col Prasad Shrikant PurohitPrasad Shrikant PurohitLt. Col. Shrikant Prasad Purohit is an Indian Army officer who is accused of charges of terrorism, as the alleged chief architect of the 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings. The attack took place on the Samjhauta Express, a train that connects Lahore, Pakistan with Delhi, the capital of India...
, Swami Aseemanand
Two persons with alleged links to the Hindutva organization Sanatan Sanstha
Sanatan Sanstha
The Sanatan Sanstha is a non-profit organization registered in India. It was founded in 1990 by Jayant Balaji Athavale with the blessings of Bhaktaraj Maharaj and is based on the study of spirituality. as a science. The stated main aim of the organization is to present spirituality in a scientific...
were sentenced to 10 years in jail for planting explosives and causing an explosion in various theatres in Thane
Thane
Thane , is a city in Maharashtra, India, part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, northeastern suburb of Mumbai at the head of the Thane Creek. It is the administrative headquarters of Thane district. On 16 April 1853, G.I.P...
and Vasai.
Usage
The first known use of the term "Saffron Terror" is from an 2002 article in Frontline in reference to 2002 Gujarat Riots.However it was in the aftermath of the September 29, 2008 bomb blast in the predominantly Muslim town of Malegaon
Malegaon
Malegaon is a city and a Municipal Corporation in the Nashik district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.Malegaon is one of the largest cities in northwest Maharashtra with an estimated population of 12 lakh to 14 lakh...
in Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
that these terms came to be used widely.
In late 2008, Indian police arrested members of a Hindu radical cell allegedly involved in an attack Malegaon
Malegaon
Malegaon is a city and a Municipal Corporation in the Nashik district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.Malegaon is one of the largest cities in northwest Maharashtra with an estimated population of 12 lakh to 14 lakh...
which killed 7 Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s. For incidents like these, Saffron terror has been used synonymously with "Anti-Muslim terrorism" or "Anti-Muslim reprisals".
The current Home Minister of India, P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram or Chidambaram Palaniappan, sometimes written Palaniappan Chidambaram is an Indian politician with the Indian National Congress and present Union Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of India. Previously he was the Finance Minister of India from May 2004 to November 2008...
urged Indians to beware of "Saffron terror" on August 25, 2010 at a meeting of state police chiefs in New Delhi. This was the first time the word was "officially" used by the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
. Since making the remark, a Hindu Swami
Swami
A swami sometimes abbreviated "Sw." is an ascetic or yogi who has been initiated into the religious monastic order founded by Adi Sankara, or to a religious teacher.The Oxford English Dictionary gives the etymology as...
in the Patan district
Patan district
Patan district is one of the 26 districts of Gujarat state in western India. This district is located in northern Gujarat and bounded by Banaskantha district in the north and northeast, Mehsana district in the east and southeast, Surendranagar district in the south and Kutch District and the Kutch...
has filed a defamation lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
against Chidambaram, on the grounds that the saffron
Saffron
Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the saffron crocus. Crocus is a genus in the family Iridaceae. Each saffron crocus grows to and bears up to four flowers, each with three vivid crimson stigmas, which are each the distal end of a carpel...
color is a conventional Hindu symbol and worn regularly by Hindu religious clergy, and that Chidambaram has hurt the sentiments of Hindus by linking the symbol to terrorism. Chidambaram responded by stating "I cannot claim patent on the phrase." On September 6, 2010 a Gujarat court ordered a probe into the use of the term by Chidambaram. Chidambaram was also criticized by members of his own party (the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
) for the use of the term, with Congress spokesman Janardhan Dwivedi claiming "terrorism does not have any colour other than black".
Criticism
The term has been criticized as a "myth" by journalist Balbir PunjBalbir Punj
Balbir Punj is a journalist and columnist from India. He is a member of the Rajya Sabha representing the Bharatiya Janata Party .-Early career:...
, who claims that the term is an invention of the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
party to demonize their political opposition as "terrorists". Bahukutumbi Raman
Bahukutumbi Raman
Bahukutumbi Raman is a former Additional Secretary , Cabinet Secretariat of the Government of India and former head of the counter-terrorism division of India's external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing . He is currently the director of the Institute for Topical Studies, Chennai...
, a former head of the Research and Analysis Wing
Research and Analysis Wing
The Research and Analysis Wing is India's external intelligence agency. It was formed in September 1968 after the poor performance of the Intelligence Bureau in the Sino-Indian war of 1962 and the India-Pakistani war of 1965 convinced the then government of India that a specialized, independent...
, criticized the term as a tool for political posturing toward the Muslim minority. Similar views have been expressed by other journalists in India Kanchan Gupta
Kanchan Gupta
Kanchan Gupta is an Indian journalist, political analyst, and activist.-Journalist and columnist:Born to East Bengali refugee parents, Kanchan Gupta was raised in Jamshedpur and Patna where he attended missionary schools...
and Swapan Dasgupta
Swapan Dasgupta
Swapan Dasgupta is a senior conservative Indian journalist. At various points in his career, he has held senior editorial posts at The Statesman, The Telegraph, The Times of India, The Indian Express and most recently India Today, where he was Managing Editor till 2003...
, have accused investigators of leaking statements about saffron terror to the media to promote the agenda of the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
,. B. Raman accused the media of measuring Muslim and Hindu suspects by different yardsticks
The BJP's former president, Rajnath Singh
Rajnath Singh
Rajnath Singh is a prominent Indian politician and who has served the country in many capacities. He was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, a Cabinet Minister in the NDA regime and became the National President of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is the single largest Opposition party in India...
, has denounced claims of Hindu terrorists as "vilification of Hindu saints and army officers in the name of Hindu terrorism".
In 2010, the internet whistleblower
Whistleblower
A whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company...
organization Wikileaks
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
released documents attesting to some leaders of the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
alleging involved of Hindu right-wing groups in the death of ATS chief Hemant Karkare during the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks
2008 Mumbai attacks
The 2008 Mumbai attacks were more than 10 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai, India's largest city, by Islamist attackers who came from Pakistan...
. The cable concluded that such allegations were being used for electoral gains. The term "Saffron Terror" was prominently used by some Congress party members in this campaign, most prominently by Digvijay Singh
Digvijay Singh
Digvijay Singh is an Indian politician, a former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and a senior leader of the Indian National Congress political party. He has been the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh state for two five-year terms...
. The Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
criticised these statements and filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India citing it as a violation of the Model Code of Conduct for guidance of political parties. The Election Commission issued a show-cause notice to Digvijay Singh
Digvijay Singh
Digvijay Singh is an Indian politician, a former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and a senior leader of the Indian National Congress political party. He has been the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh state for two five-year terms...
on this complaint . Hindu spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar usually known as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, born Ravi Shankar Ratnam, born 13 May 1956) is a spiritual leader and founder of the Art of Living Foundation , which aims at relieving individual stress, societal problems and violence. It is an NGO with UNESCO consultative status...
has also criticized the usage of the term, saying that it is a myth and insult to Hindu religion, which he said is the most tolerant religion.
The main opposition party BJP accused the government of targeting Hindus. BJP leader M M Joshi said that the Congress had itself set up a committee ahead of independence to consider what the national flag should look like and saffron was the colour chosen by it and that Saffron is a part of Indian heritage. MPs of another party Shiv Sena rushed into the well demanding an apology from the home minister and later staged a walkout. Ram Madhav, a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's national executive, Home Minister made it a point to single it out by not making reference to any other terror in the country by name. In his address he didn't talk about jihadi or Islamic terror, didn't utter the word red terror except a vague reference to Left wing extremism towards the end and questioned how a couple of sporadic cases that took place during a period of 14 months, that have happened between August 2007 and Malegaon become a phenomenon? He also pointed out that 'security bureaucracy' could be acting at the behest of their political masters seemed to be behind creating saffron terror.
See also
- Communalism (South Asia)Communalism (South Asia)This article deals with the use of the word communalism in South Asia, as a name for a force separating different communities based on some form of social or sectarian discrimination...
- Religious violence in IndiaReligious violence in IndiaReligious violence in India includes acts of violence by followers of one religious group against followers and institutions of another religious group, often in the form of rioting...
- Nationalist terrorismNationalist terrorismNationalist terrorism is a form of terrorism motivated by nationalism. Nationalist terrorists seek to form self-determination in some form, which may range from gaining greater autonomy to establishing a completely independent, sovereign state...
- Terrorism in IndiaTerrorism in IndiaTerrorism in India is primarily attributable to religious communities and Naxalite radical movements.The regions with long term terrorist activities today are Jammu and Kashmir, Mumbai, Central India and the Seven Sister States...
- 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings2007 Samjhauta Express bombingsThe 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings were a terrorist attack that occurred around midnight on 18 February 2007 on the Samjhauta Express, a twice-weekly train service connecting Delhi, India, and Lahore, Pakistan. Bombs were set off in two carriages, both filled with passengers, just after the train...
- 2007 Mecca Masjid bombing
- 2007 Ajmer Dargah attackAjmer Dargah attackThe Ajmer Dargah attack occurred on 11 October 2007, outside the Dargah of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer, Rajasthan, India, after the Iftar period had started...
- 2008 Malegoan & Modasa bombing29 September 2008 western India bombingsIn the 29 September 2008 Western India bombings, three bombs exploded in the States of Gujarat and Maharashtra of India killing 8 persons and injuring 80...
- SaffronizationSaffronizationSaffronization or saffronisation is an Indian political neologism used by critics to refer to the politics of right-wing Hindu nationalism that seek to make the Indian state adopt social policies that recall and glorify the...
Further Reading
- Subhash Gatade, 'Godse's Children:Hindutva Terror in India',Pharos Media & Publishing Pvt Ltd (2011),(ISBN 81-7221-052-3 or ISBN 978-81-7221-052-6)
- Subhash Gatade,'The Saffron Condition:Politics of Repression and Exclusion in Neoliberal India',(ISBN 978-81-8878-975-7)