Mumbai – Just days after a gun attack in Indian-administered Kashmir left 25 tourists and one local porter dead, a new song surfaced on Indian YouTube, targeting Indian Muslims. The song accuses Muslims of conspiring against Hindus and demands that they leave India. It is part of a broader digital campaign by Hindu nationalist groups using social media to spread anti-Muslim sentiment, fueling further tensions between the two communities. Moreover, this wave of violent rhetoric is mirrored by real-world attacks and threats against Muslims in various parts of India, evidencing a serious divide and heightened animosity.
More than 140,000 views have been amassed by this song in less than a week, showcasing its reach. The theme of the song reflect that Muslims are no longer trustworthy in India because the attackers targeted Hindu tourists, despite the death of a Muslim Kashmiri who tried to stop the gunmen. Such a tone is echoed in more than 20 similar songs that have appeared on YouTube, all adhering to the narrative that it is Muslims who are responsible for the threat to Hindus.
Songs titled with violent themes and advocating for actions against Pakistan have also surfaced, promoting a call for war and aggression. These videos are part of the ‘Hindutva Pop’ genre supporting the Hindu nationalist ideology of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Besides, AI-generated content and manipulated images have been used to depict the attack as specifically targeting Hindus.
Digital Campaign Mirroring Real-world Violence
The digital campaign by Hindu nationalist groups is clearly mimicking the violence happening across India. There have been reports of Muslims being attacked, threatened, and intimidated in several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Uttarakhand. In addition, there are chilling instances of Muslim patients being denied medical care by Hindu doctors.
“Lawmakers and politicians from the BJP have also contributed to the violence with their speeches and calls for boycotts against Muslims. This rhetoric only adds fuel to an already volatile situation, taking Indian society to a critical level of conflict and division.”, says Nadeem Khan from the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR).
The APCR is now coordinating efforts to provide legal assistance to the victims of this post-attack violence. With this rising hostility, there is a grave concern about where these tensions might lead, and whether the situation in India will worsen further.
