Hyderabad police have come under fire for failing to take action against the display of a photo of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse during Ram Navami celebrations organized by the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party. The photo was displayed on a banner along with other Hindu deities and leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The incident has sparked outrage among political leaders and activists, who have accused the police of being biased towards the AIMIM and failing to uphold the law.
The display of Godse’s photo has been widely condemned as an insult to Mahatma Gandhi, who is revered by millions of Indians as the father of the nation. Godse, a member of the extremist Hindu nationalist organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), assassinated Gandhi in 1948, citing his opposition to the partition of India and his advocacy of Hindu-Muslim unity. The RSS and its affiliates have been accused of promoting a divisive and intolerant ideology that seeks to establish a Hindu Rashtra (nation) in India, where minorities are marginalized and their rights are curtailed.
The controversy over the display of Godse’s photo has highlighted the growing communal tensions in India, where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological parent RSS have been accused of promoting a majoritarian agenda that seeks to impose Hindu supremacy on the country. The AIMIM, which is a Muslim-dominated party, has been accused of playing into the hands of the BJP by promoting a politics of identity and communalism. The incident has also raised questions about the role of the police in maintaining law and order and upholding the constitutional values of secularism and pluralism. The Hyderabad police have defended their inaction, citing lack of evidence and legal loopholes, but their response has been widely criticized as weak and inadequate.
