‘Seriously perturbed’: Forces’ ex-chiefs slam hate speeches

SUCH SPEECHES WERE A THREAT TO ‘NATIONAL SECURITY AND INCITEMENT TO VIOLENCE’, THE LETTER SAID

DEHRADUN: Five former chiefs of staff of the armed forces and more than 100 other prominent citizens have written a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Justice of India N V Ramana, among others, over “calls for genocide” against Indian Muslims at various events, including the recently held controversial religious event in Haridwar.

The letter, which was also addressed to home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh, Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, said that such speeches were a threat to “national security and incitement to violence” and sought suitable action against those who made them.

Referring to an alleged hate speech delivered at the Dharma Sansad event in Haridwar, between December 17 and 19, the letter said: “We are seriously perturbed by the content of speeches made during a three day religious conclave called Dharma Sansad held in Haridwar. There were repeated calls for establishing a Hindu Rashtra and, if required, picking up weapons and killing of India’s

Muslims in the name of protecting Hinduism.”

The signatories of the letter also recalled a similar event in Delhi.

“At about the same time, a large number of persons gathered in Delhi and publicly took an oath resolving to make India a Hindu nation, by fighting and killing necessary, and more such seditious meetings are being organised in other places,” the letter said. “Regardless of which persons or parties initiated calls for such genocide, government of India and the judiciary, at the highest level, need to take urgent action. We cannot allow such incitement to violence together with public expressions of hate, which not only constitute serious breaches of internal security, but which could also tear apart the social fabric of our nation.”

Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas (retd), Admiral RK Dhowan (retd), Admiral Vishnu Bhagat (retd), Admiral Arun Prakash, and former chief of air staff, Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi (retd) were among bureaucrats, journalists, lawyers, economists and students who signed the letter.