On October 9, a procession was taken out in Pipad town of district Jodhpur, Rajasthan, in which the participating Islamists raised ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans on the occasion of Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi. The video of the incident went viral on social media, following which the main accused that instigated the mob to raise the slogans was arrested. Identified as Roshan Ali, the accused was reportedly involved in communal violence in the past as well.
Notably, All India Muslim Jamaat had issued a decree on October 8 in which they had asked not to raise ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans during the procession on the occasion of Prophet Muhammad’s birthday. The decree was issued for Muslims across the country. However, the Islamists in Jodhpur did not pay heed to the decree and raised ‘Gustakh-e-Nabi ki ek hi saza, sar tan se juda, sar tan se juda’ slogans while passing through Nayapura Subhash Colony, a Hindu-dominating area.
Residents of the Colony filed a complaint at Pipad police station regarding the slogans. The complaint mentioned that the slogans were raised to disturb social harmony and create fear among the Hindu community.
SHO Premdan Ratnu, Pipar Police Station, said in a statement, “A procession rally was being taken out during which we received info that a man, identified as Roshan Ali, has raised objectionable slogans. The accused was arrested and is being questioned.”
The police added that Roshan Ali had been involved in communal incidents in the past. Pipad town is considered communally sensitive, and several communal clashes have happened there in the past.
The ‘sar tan se juda’ slogan and the murder of Kanhaiya Lal
It is noteworthy that ‘sar tan se juda’ is not just a slogan but a violent and hateful call to behead non-Muslims who, as per the Islamists, have ‘disrespected’ Islam. The call for death has been used to kill people over social media posts and settle old scores. Islamists have acted upon the slogan and killed several innocent people in the past for merely posting about Prophet Muhammad or showing support for those who have said anything about the Prophet.
On June 28, a Hindu tailor identified as Kanhaiya Lal was brutally murdered by Islamists identified as Mohammad Riaz and Ghaus Mohammad for allegedly posting in support of former Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma who was dismissed from the party for allegedly giving objectionable remarks against the Prophet during a debate on Times Now.
The Islamists had entered Kanhaiya Lal’s shop on the pretext of getting clothes stitched and attacked him with sharp weapons. Later, the accused shared videos of the murder, saying Kanhaiya Lal was killed to avenge the insult of Islam. He also threatened Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The accused were arrested by the police, and the case was transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) by the Union Home Ministry. It was revealed during the investigation that the accused had got training in Pakistan.
Another Hindu businessman identified as Umesh Kohle from Amravati, Maharashtra, was also brutally murdered by a group of Islamists for supporting Nupur Sharma.