New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar and his daughter Suranya Aiyar have been asked by a Resident’s Welfare Association (RWA) to “apologise” or “move out” of the colony if they think that the consecration of the Ram Temple on January 22 was wrong. The vigilante move came in response to Suranya’s three-day fast at home against the triumphalism that accompanied the inauguration of the grand temple.
The homeowner’s body in an upscale South Delhi neighbourhood cautioned the father-daughter duo to refrain from indulging in rants, which may disturb peace of hurt the religious sentiments of other residents.
“We do not appreciate a resident rant which may disturb the peace in the colony or hurt religious sentiments of the residents,” reads the notice issued by the RWA.
It further adds, “In case you think what you have done in protesting against the consecration of Ram mandir at Ayodhya, we would suggest you to kindly move out to another colony where people can turn blind eye to such hatred.”
In a post on Facebook on January 20, Suranya had claimed that she is observing fast to protest against the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of the Ram Mandir. She said her fast is an expression of love and sorrow to fellow Muslim citizens.
Responding to her post, the RWA said, “What Ms (Suranya) Aiyar said through social media was unbecoming of an educated person, who should have understood that the Ram Mandir was being built after 500 years and that too after 5-0 Supreme Court verdict.”
It went on to add that she might take the cover of freedom of speech, but she must remember that the freedom is not absolute as per the Supreme Court of India.
Her father has also been urged to condemn his daughter's post.
The association regarded Suranya’s fast and social media post as hate speech, which is highly regrettable.
‘People deserve better conversation’
Suranya expressed concern about the prevailing toxic atmosphere in the country, stating that one of the reasons why the atmosphere in the country is “toxic” today is due to television being used to have debates.
She stressed on the need for improved conversations and engagement in India. “I feel people in India deserve better conversations, and better engagement,” English daily The Hindu has quoted her as saying.
When contacted by The Mooknayak, Mani Shankar Aiyar declined to comment.
Such incidents of bullying and harassment of those who disagree and dissent have reached unprecedented levels. Almost every person, who dares to voice a different opinion, faces online and offline harassments.
A Dalit student from the Department of Electronics and Communication at NIT-Calicut has been suspended for participating in a protest against the celebration of the consecration ceremony organized on the campus.
The protest held on January 22 included displaying placards with the slogan ‘India is not Rama Rajya’. Justifying its action, the NIT said in a statement that the student, Vysakh Premkumar, contributed to “campus unrest” and “violated” multiple clauses of the institute’s code of conduct. He has been deemed solely responsible for inciting unrest within the community.
A 17-year-old pre-university student, belonging to the Dalit community, faced an alleged assault by a group of individuals. The altercation reportedly stemmed from the student’s WhatsApp status, which featured images of Lord Rama alongside Dr B.R. Ambedkar.
The attackers argued that the image disrespected Lord Rama. The incident took place in Humnabad, Bidar district, where the victim was later allegedly coerced into chanting ‘Jai Sri Ram’ at a local temple on January 22.
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