CYBERASSAULT The Hindutva brigades Internet campaign has taken pr paganda t ne!

heights " incredu#it$% B$ &E'(ITESH RA)A(RISH'A' * A+,Y ASHIR-A. )AHA/RASHASTA

The Internet, in particular the social media, has been a priority for the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS)-led Sangh Pari ar in the past decade and a half for the ad ancement of its political and ideological interests! Se eral organisational documents of the RSS and its fellow outfits point to how the "indut a combine#s early mo es in this area in the mid-$%%&s were strengthened with the crafting of an Internet and social media strategy in the closing years of the '&th century as part of the preparation of its (ision '&'& document! These documents show how the )haratiya *anata Party, the Pari ar#s political arm, used its stint in power at the +entre and in se eral States between $%%, and '&&- to set up and bolster manifold outfits across the globe with nuanced "indut a agendas! .s a result, the Sangh Pari ar and the )*P are miles ahead of their political and ideological ad ersaries in the use of cyberspace! It is a rounded campaign that the "indut a combine runs in this arena through multiple establishments located around the world! Some of these establishments focus on political and ideological issues directly, while others resort to irulently anti-/uslim and pro-"indu propaganda! .lso part of this agenda are the lampooning and character assassination of social and political leaders who oppose the Sangh Pari ar! These outfits run a consistent campaign throughout the year but sharpen it during the runup to elections or when the Sangh Pari ar or any of its outfits wants to gi e momentum to a social protest or an act of communal polarisation! Indeed, the acti ity of many of the Internet-based Sangh Pari ar organisations in the past si0 months underscores this point! . lot of these campaigns are pronouncedly insidious in terms of content and packaging! The manner in which Thakur Sangeet Singh Som, )*P /1. from Sardhana in /eerut, posted a fake ideo titled 2killing of "indu youths by /uslim mob3 on his 4acebook page in September and thus aggra ated the recent communal conflict in 5ttar Pradesh#s /u6affarnagar is part of the official records! "e had picked up an old ideo that apparently depicted an assault in Pakistan and passed it off as something that was shot in /u6affarnagar! 7n 8o ember 9 and :, +ongress ice-president Rahul ;andhi isited *ammu and <ashmir! = en as he began his tour, the so-called 5nited "indu 4ront posted on its website photographs of Rahul and *ammu and <ashmir +hief /inister 7mar .bdullah with the >uestion, 2look at this photo and comment why should ?sic@ they look so similar3A 2Is it coincidence or is it part of historyA3! The post also had comments, which any right-thinking person would see as obBectionable, on the families of the two leaders and suggesting that Rahul ;andhi promoted only the interests of /uslims!

Through 7ctober and 8o ember, se eral "indut a platforms ran a concerted campaign against the Pre ention of +ommunal and Targeted (iolence (P+T() )ill, which is e0pected to come up in the winter session of Parliament! The posts claimed that former 5nion /inister Subramanian Swamy, who Boined the )*P recently after winding up the *anata Party he headed, had said in his analysis of the )ill that it is of 2the presumption that all "indus are criminals and rioters3 and hence that 2the law can be in oked only against "indus by minorities3! The analysis further stated that as per the )ill a mere complaint against a member of the maBority community would be enough to file a first information report (4IR) and arrest that person, who is assumed guilty unless pro en otherwise, contrary to the normal criminal procedure, where an accused is assumed innocent unless pro en guilty! Swamy is also credited with ha ing stated that the )ill could trigger a new wa e of e0tortion by minority groups and that this would ha e huge negati e repercussions for the Indian economy! "a ing put forth this 2analysis3, the campaign went on to add that the )ill seeks to make India 2Bust like Pakistan, )angladesh or <ashmir, where "indus will be left with three optionsC +on ert, flee or suffer entire life3! .pparently, this campaign has found a large number of takers in the cyberworld, including many who are not committed acti ists of the Sangh Pari ar! .nother campaign held that 2/uslim will become absolute maBority in India in '&DE3 and that 2the community is using ploys such as con ersion, threatening, rioting, slaughtering, terrorism, intrusion, polygamy and no birth control as the maBor tools to reach this figure3! Though the argument lacks scientific basis, it was made out to be the most important campaign in the microblogging website Twitter by thousands of "indut a followers in 7ctober '&$'! +learly, Twitter and 4acebook ha e become the most important platforms for such hatemongering campaigns as they reach a much larger audience than many Sangh Pari ar websites! Interestingly, there are more than $&& websites in India alone that promote 8arendra /odi as the future Prime /inister and proBect the "indu community as under attack! Talking to Frontline, the independent film-maker and researcher Saba Fewan said the "indut a campaign was being spread camouflaged as independent oices, and rabid racial and communal sentiments were ad anced through this camouflage! Saba Fewan found it strange to be flooded, on =id, with cartoons, photographs and posts criticising the sacrifice of goats and other animals! These posts were made from a seemingly innocent egetarianism angle! Saba Fewan said this was another dimension of de iousness and added that she had not seen such criticism in earlier years or during festi als such as the one in the <amakhya shrine in .ssam or in other <ali temples, where too animals were sacrificed! Saba Fewan posted her obser ation on her own 4acebook page with an appeal to iewers to pause and think before forwarding such posts, whether one was becoming a party to the insidious

anti-/uslim, "indut a campaign flooding the social media in the run up to elections! This post, too, e oked an animated debate! Simi#ar pattern The "indut a campaign on the Internet has arious themes and fora but the pattern is broadly similar! To start with, much of it is alarmist in nature and creates an illusion of "indus as ictims under the regimes of the secular parties! The path adopted to propagate this theory is threefold! 4irst, stray attacks on "indus are proBected as communal iolence and blamed on an 2apathetic state3! Sample these headlines in a website called hindue0istence!orgC 2/uslims are not in need of a reason for rioting against non-belie ers at any time3G 2.llah and his Prophet are the only reason for *ehad against non-/uslims!3 /ost of these reports falsify facts and are written on the basis of stray killings! The website claims to be a 2liberal "indu think tank3! "owe er, it makes sweeping generalisations about Islam and fre>uently >uotes the Huran out of conte0t to proBect Islam as an intolerant religion! These articles are posted in the social media by its supporters! Secondly, the campaign targets the +ongress go ernment (which in their understanding is an 2underground communist group3) and accuses it of 2minority appeasement3! It is shown as allowing 2defamation3 of "indu gods and goddesses! These campaigns are led by groups such as the "indu *an *agruti (httpCIIwww!hinduBagruti!orgIdenigrationsI)! Images of arious media posters, e0hibitions, and other artistic works carrying images of "indu gods and goddesses are shown and interpreted as 2defamation3! These same organisations were responsible for andalism of arious art e0hibitions in the recent past! Thirdly, international e0amples are cited in such a way that it appears as if "indus are being persecuted e erywhere and that the faith needs protection! Sample this news item in hinduismtoday!com from )angladesh published on 8o ember EC 2/embers of "indu community in 1almonirhat on /onday came under targeted attack again, for the third time in a week of escalating sectarian tension and iolence in the region!3 .nother one goes like thisC 2.n angry mob andalised at least '9 houses and a temple of the "indu community in Pabna#s .taikula upa6ila today following a rumour that a "indu boy posted something on 4acebook demeaning Prophet /ohammad!3 These items are picked from here and circulated in the social media! The September '$-'- terrorist attack on Jestgate /all in 8airobi, <enya, where some Indians were killed, was proBected in the social media and on Sangh Pari ar websites as persecution of "indus! Savi ur " Hindus 7nce the 2 ictimhood of "indus3 is established, the ne0t step is the proBection of 8arendra /odi as the sa iour of "indus! 8ews items like 2;uBarat showed India that a united "indu community can be a ote bank# are used to play on the minds of readers! Simultaneously, a campaign for a casteless society is gi en credence in these websites! Similarly, a massi e can assing for egetarianism features as a top priority in most of

these websites to indirectly point fingers at minority groups! This is done by highlighting benefits like a healthy lifestyle and spiritual ele ation, or by showing ictimhood of animals! . news item in hinduismtoday!com saysC 2. public school in 4lushing, 8K that was the first in the nation to offer a $&& per cent egetarian lunch menu reported recently that students ha e impro ed attendance, test scores and energy in the wake of the change!3 The Sangh Pari ar seems to ha e de eloped a filial relationship with the .merican 4reedom Fefence Initiati e (.4FI), a itriolic anti-Islam organisation in the 5!S! which it often >uotes in most of its Internet propaganda! The .4FI is known to ha e campaigns similar to the Sangh Pari ar in India! In fact, one of the main proBects of the $%%,-'&&)*P when it led the 8ational Femocratic .lliance (8F.) go ernment at the +entre was to strengthen these international alliances by setting up and strengthening o erseas units of Pari ar outfits! Thus, e ery outfit of the Pari ar has an international wing, which helps in campaigns and fund-raising! The 7 erseas 4riends of the )*P (74)*P), with its ast network of branches in countries that ha e a si6eable non-resident Indian (8RI) population, is the key organisation internationally! It works closely with the "indu Swayamsewak Sangh ("SS), the RSS# o erseas branch! The 74)*P has an e0tensi e network in the 5!S! and )ritain! Jhile it started as an international outreach outfit of the Sangh Pari ar in $%%$, its Internet-based operations were concretised in $%%,! Its leaders state openly that the organisation seeks to present the )*P and the Sangh Pari ar in a positi e light to international policymakers, administration officials, members of arious think tanks and the media! The 74)*P claims to fight leftist and liberal propaganda against the )*P! )ut, e idently, this fight is not a tussle characterised by obBecti ity or intellectual integrity! The campaign one witnessed during the /u6affarnagar riots and the one that is currently in circulation against the P+T( )ill are filled with lies, half-truths, calumny and hate! .s a popular article in the 5nited "indu 4ront platform and the comments around it stated, the Internet "indut a campaign does not belie e in democracy for all, but only for those informed with the so-called "indu world iew!