Yeh Jo India Hai Na | Dear Haters, Repeating a Lie Does Not Make It Law

The VHP members invented a law – namaz in public spaces, NOT ALLOWED. But that's not true.

Yeh Jo India Hai Na

(Photo: The Quint)

Video Producer: Aparna Singh

Video Editor: Harpal Rawat

Yeh Jo India Hai Na... yahan kisi bhi baat ko baar baar kehne se voh desh ka, ya Uttar Pradesh ka kanoon nahi ban jaata. Yet, in Shahjahanpur, in the heart of UP, Muslim men were harassed and made to hold their ears for offering namaz on the road by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) members, who claimed that it is illegal to offer namaz on the road in the state by the orders of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

There Is No Such Law in UP

Yes, these VHP members invented a law – namaz in public spaces, NOT ALLOWED. By the order of CM Adityanath. But the fact is that this is not true. There is no such law in UP that says namaz is not allowed in public spaces. To phir, yeh kya ho raha hai? What is this? This… is EVERYDAY HATE! Nafrat ka daily dose.

Grab some Muslims on the road, accuse them of something like offering namaz in public, transporting a cow, being friends with a Hindu girl, and then claim that they are breaking the law. Jab ki NONE of this is breaking the law. Harass them, shame them, unka video banao… video mein, abuse them, maybe assault them, share the video, keep insisting they are breaking the law.

Then there's the drama of calling the police, who come, mostly stare, do nothing to the haters or the abusers but take the Muslims to the local police station like common criminals.

And, what happens when this video goes viral on WhatsApp? Those watching often believe that the Muslims were breaking the law. Because, when it is said again and again and not challenged or rubbished by the police seen in the video, an ordinary person may believe the video. That there is such a law. That Yogi Adityanath has enacted a law in UP making namaz in a public space illegal. That a Muslim should be jailed for this.

But, like I said, it is JUST NOT TRUE. UTTAR PRADESH DOES NOT HAVE SUCH A LAW. NOWHERE IN INDIA IS THERE SUCH A LAW.  

And the next day, if you ask the cop if there is such a law – he will concede that there is no such law. If you ask the cop, then why did you take those Muslims to the police station? He will say, to maintain law and order. To preserve communal harmony. Arre bhai, if you wanted to maintain law and order, why didn’t you take the VHP men to the police station and let the Muslims get onto their bus and leave? You will probably get no answer.   

Such shameful videos are common currently. We see them all the time. Iss se bhi zyaada violent video hum dekh chuke hain, so much so that I can almost hear someone say: "Bhai, sirf kaan hi to pakadne ko bola. Pitai, lynching, khoon-kharaba to nahi hua. Namaz kahin chup ke kar lo na bhai, khule mein karke, kyon pange le rahe ho?" And THAT is the aim of everyday hate, of that daily dose of hate – it is gradually meant to turn us into meek, 2nd class citizens of India.

Yeh Jo India Hai Na… yahan nafrati log, sudhrenge nahi. Unless the law, unless the police take truly tough action to shut them down, unless more concerned citizens call them out, they will continue to cook up laws and lies and use these to target India’s minorities, day after day.