Former armed forces chiefs write to President, PM seeking actions to curb hate speeches

Five former chiefs of the armed forces and other military veterans joined eminent personalities and civil society activists to write to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to curb the menace of hate speeches, like the ones recently delivered in Haridwar and Delhi, which allegedly called for "genocide of Muslims".

“The Constitution (of India) provides for the free practice of religion across faiths. We strongly deplore such polarisation in the name of religion. We urge you, Mr President and Mr Prime Minister, to take immediate steps to curb such attempts, and urge you to condemn such incitement to violence in no uncertain terms,” they wrote in an open letter to Kovind and Modi on Friday.

They noted that not only the Muslims but other minorities, including Christians, Dalits and Sikhs, were also being targeted in hate speeches across the country.

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The signatories of the letter to President and Prime Minister included Admiral L Ramdas, Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat, Admiral Arun Prakash, and Admiral R K Dhowan, four former chiefs of the Indian Navy, Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi, a former chief of the Indian Air Force, and Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi, former Vice Chief of the Army Staff, apart from several other military veterans and civil society activists.

They wrote that they were “seriously perturbed” by the content of speeches made during a three-day religious conclave titled ‘Dharma Sansad’ of Hindu seers and other leaders, held in Haridwar between December 17 and 19. “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,” wrote the military veterans and civil society activists.

They noted that a large number of persons gathered in Delhi around the same time and publicly took an oath resolving to make India a Hindu nation, by fighting and killing if necessary. They pointed out that more such seditious meetings were being organised in other places.

“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.”

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They pointed out that one of the speakers at the Haridwar conclave made a call to the army and police to pick up weapons and participate in the cleanliness drive (“safai abhiyan”). “This amounts to asking the army to participate in genocide of our own citizens, and is condemnable and unacceptable.”

They tacitly referred to the situation along India’s borders with China and Pakistan and warned that any breach of peace and harmony within the nation would embolden inimical external forces. The unity and cohesiveness of our men and women in uniform, including the CAPFs (Central Armed Police Forces) and police forces, will be seriously affected by allowing such blatant calls for violence against one or the other community in our diverse and plural society.”

They called upon the government, Parliament and the Supreme Court to act with urgency to protect the integrity and security of the country.

They also sent copies of the letter to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Justice N V Ramana and the current chiefs of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force, Gen M Naravane, Admiral R Harikumar, Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhary.

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