By Maktoob
T.G. Mohandas, an RSS ideologue from Kerala, has sparked outrage after saying that if he had the authority, he would impose a curfew around Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and have student and youth protesters shot dead “at point-blank range.”
Speaking on the YouTube channel Pathrika, Mohandas said he would declare a curfew within a four-square-kilometre radius of Jantar Mantar, ask protesters to disperse three times, and then order police to open fire.
“If I were in charge, I would impose curfew within a four-square-kilometre radius of Jantar Mantar. I would ask people to disperse three times. Then I would shoot. People would scatter, some would die, some would survive, and some would lose their limbs. Within four hours, the situation would be calm. The bodies would be collected and taken to hospitals,” he said.
Mohandas also called the protesters “criminals” and alleged that they would engage in murder and rape if left alone. He claimed that if the police were withdrawn from the protest site, there would be killings, rapes, and bodies piling up.
In another hateful and sexist remark, Mohandas targeted women participating in the protest, claiming that “rape-loving women” were among the demonstrators.
“Gang rapes would take place. By God’s grace, there would be no complaints. The people there are a group that likes rape. There are women and girls who like rape, especially among the left, democratic, secular and Bahujan groups,” he said.
The hate speech comes in the backdrop of the historic student- and youth-led protests against the Narendra Modi government at Jantar Mantar and across India over failures in the education sector, which had already witnessed a heavy police crackdown. The protest ended after a month, with Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan being forced to resign, one of the key demands raised by the protesters.
Mohandas, who has previously drawn criticism for hate speech and genocidal remarks, served as the state convener of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Intellectual Cell. He was the General Secretary of the Bharateeya Vichara Kendram in 1997 and its Vice-President in 2006. He also served as the General Manager of Ayodhya Printers, a company affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). For a brief period, Mohandas was the General Manager of Janmabhumi, the BJP’s mouthpiece newspaper.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com.