School Kids Made to Take 'Hindu Rashtra' Oath in UP; Similar Events Across India

The Sonbhadra police said that they were investigating the matter.

Sudarshan News editor-in-chief Suresh Chavhanke posted a video of the same on his official Twitter account.

(Photo: Screengrab/Suresh Chavhanke Twitter)

Multiple oath-taking events "to turn India into a Hindu Rashtra (nation)" were held across the country, videos of which have been shared by Sudarshan News and its editor-in-chief Suresh Chavhanke on their official Twitter handles, respectively.

Chavhanke, on Wednesday, 29 December, posted a video in which an unknown person could be seen administering an oath to students of a school in Sonbhadra in Uttar Pradesh to "fight, die, and if required, kill" to turn India into a Hindu Rashtra.

On Tuesday, 28 December, Sudarshan News shared two videos of such oath-taking 'ceremonies' at Rupaidiha in UP and in Nagpur.

This comes just days after Chavhanke himself administered a similar oath during an event organised by the Hindu Yuva Vahini on 19 December in Delhi, videos of which had emerged on social media on 22 December.

"We promise to work towards making India and keeping India a Hindu Rashtra. We will fight for this, die for this, and if required, kill for this. But we will not back down even for a moment, no matter the sacrifice. May our ancestors, teachers, Mother India give us enough strength so that we can fulfil our pledge. May they give us victory," the pledge – the same in all three instances – said.

Oath Administered to Schoolchildren in UP

The oath was administered to schoolchildren at Nehru Park in UP's Sonbhadra district and recorded by Sudarshan TV reporter Rajesh Singh. It ended with slogans of "Bharat Mata Ki Jai", "Vandre Mataram", and "Jai Hind."

The children, dressed in their school uniforms, had gathered in the park after school hours. Some kids visiting the park with their parents were also part of the oath-taking event.

Reacting to the video clip, Sonbhadra police, on its official Twitter account, said that the concerned police officer had been made aware of the matter, and an investigation into the video was underway.

Oath Administered to Multiple People in Rupaidiha & Nagpur

In the first video shared on Tuesday by Sudarshan News, an unknown person could be seen administering the oath to 12 people in Rupaidiha, a small town near the India–Nepal border.

The other video, shared earlier on Tuesday, showed an unknown woman administering the oath to multiple people in Nagpur. Towards the end, the group also raised slogans of "Bharat Mata ki Jai", "Vande Mataram", "Jai Shri Ram", and "Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ki Jai."

What Had Happened Earlier

The hate-spewing event in Delhi reportedly took place in Banarsidas Chandiwala Auditorium near Govindpuri metro station on 19 December.

As of 24 December, no action in the matter had been initiated by the police.

The event came on the heels of a three-day conclave organised by the controversial Hindutva leader Yati Narsinghanand from 17 to 19 December in Uttarakhand's pilgrimage city of Haridwar. Videos of several speeches, provoking the attendees to kill minorities and attack their religious spaces, made during the event surface online subsequently.

Facing flak for his comments, Yati Narsinghanand took to social media on 24 December, to justify his stance and went on to make some more venomous comments about the minority community and Mahatma Gandhi.

"I am not giving a hate speech. If you find even a single thing that I have said is false, then hang me! I am saying the same thing to all the Maulanas. Let's meet and debate. If you find we are wrong, you don't cut our heads. We will do it ourselves....," he had said.

Meanwhile, 76 advocates of the Supreme Court had written to Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, on 26 December, asking the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the open calls for genocide of Muslims to achieve ethnic cleansing made at two separate religious events in Delhi (by the Hindu Yuva Vahini) and Haridwar (by Yati Narsinghanand).