Shafiq Bagwan found himself hanging out with some friends in Hasnabad, a village located in the Maharashtra state of western India. While casually browsing Instagram on his phone, he came across an update posted by his younger brother Taufiq. As he opened the post, his heart sank.
The post depicted a picture of Aurangzeb, a 17th-century Mughal emperor, along with a description labeling him as “the father of Hindu nationalists.”
Filled with concern, Shafiq immediately called his brother and urged him to delete the story. Worried about Taufiq’s safety, he hoped that not many people had seen it. However, it was too late. On the ensuing day, June 20th, Taufiq was apprehended and accused of the transgression of “willful and malevolent intent to provoke religious sentiments.”
Taufiq had unknowingly become a part of an online crusade initiated by Hindu nationalists in Maharashtra. These groups, with apparent links to local government and law enforcement, took it upon themselves to monitor social media platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp for any content they could construe as offensive to Hindus, no matter how tenuous. This situation has turned these platforms into hostile environments for Muslims, leading to harassment and arrests for seemingly innocuous posts. It highlights how the Indian internet is reflecting the Hindu nationalist slant of politics under the leadership of Narendra Modi.
Although Aurangzeb passed away more than three centuries ago, he has recently become a symbol of protest for Muslim youth in Maharashtra. During his reign from 1658 to 1707, he expanded the Mughal empire across a significant part of the Indian subcontinent. However, to some Hindus, he represents a tyrannical figure who imposed discriminatory taxes, destroyed temples, and faced resistance from Shivaji, another revered warrior king in Maharashtra.
Professor Surendra Jondhale from the University of Mumbai explains that Aurangzeb, a Muslim ruler, is used as a political tool to target ordinary Muslims today. Right-wing groups have exploited the historical conflict between Shivaji and Aurangzeb, portraying it as a battle between Hindus and Muslims to propagate a divisive narrative.
In February 2023, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party-led union government renamed the city of Aurangabad in Maharashtra to Sambhaji Nagar. During rallies following the renaming, attended by BJP members, provocative statements were made by T Raja Singh, a party member and suspended lawmaker, branding any unhappy Muslims as traitors.
The BJP has faced widespread accusations of stoking religious tensions across India and promoting a Hindu identity that contradicts the country’s founding principles of religious pluralism.
In response to hate speech and discrimination from public figures, young Muslims have adopted Aurangzeb as a symbol of defiance. Imtiaz Jaleel, a lawmaker from Aurangabad, explains that this sentiment arises from a place of frustration and humiliation, as Muslims are continuously provoked. Under normal circumstances, Aurangzeb would not be a focal point of their thoughts.
However, sharing the former ruler’s picture comes with severe consequences. Right-wing Hindu groups, openly supported by members of the BJP, vigilantly monitor Muslims’ social media posts, claiming that even a photograph of Aurangzeb hurts their religious sentiments.
This was precisely what happened to Taufiq, who, as Shafiq clarifies, does not understand English and was unaware of the post’s content. Before he could remove the story, someone from the village took a screenshot.
Rupesh Rathi, who works for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a parent organization of the BJP, in Hasnabad, explains that such situations have become more frequent since the renaming of Aurangabad. A Hindu friend of Taufiq in the village saw his story, took a screenshot, and shared it with Rathi, leading to a discussion among a group of people on how to address the issue.
The consensus was to file a complaint, as they found the post objectionable. As more people from neighboring villages joined, the number of individuals in the mob exceeded 100. The police cooperated extensively, assuring a proper investigation. As a result of the complaint, several other Muslim boys who had posted the same status deleted it as well.
