About the problem of Hindu terrorism in India
After the September 11 terrorist attacks, research in the field of terrorism focused mainly on Islamist movements. But when considering this problem in the context of India, there is a significant leap towards far-right extremism. Despite their massive scale, violent attacks carried out by Hindu extremists often remain without coverage or do not receive due attention, although they pose a significant threat to regional security.
The term "Hindu terrorism", known in the region as "saffron terrorism", is used to describe acts of violence committed by members of Hindu nationalist organizations – such as "Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh" (RSS), "Vishwa Hindu Parishad" (VHP), "Shiv Sena", "Bajrang Dal", etc. In 2002, Indian journalist Praveen Swami first coined the term "saffron terror" in an article in Frontline magazine. The origin of the expression is associated with saffron (dark orange) color, which is symbolically used by Hindu nationalist organizations. At the government level, the term was first used by former Indian Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram at a meeting of police chiefs in New Delhi in August 2010, during which he urged citizens to beware of saffron terrorism.
From the history of Saffron Terror
The first known violent attack by a Hindu nationalist in independent India was the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi by former RSS member Nathuram Godse. After the assassination of Gandhi, the RSS organization was banned, and its head Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar was arrested by the Government of India.
In August 1948, it became known that the members of the RSS were planning to commit terrorist acts on the territory of Pakistan. However, the plan failed due to the premature explosion of a bomb, which killed two members of the RSS in Karachi. The organization was banned again in 1975 when Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency in India.
Another ban was imposed in 1992, almost two decades later. This time, the group's activities were banned due to the destruction of the Babri Majid Mosque by militants associated with the RSS, the VHP and the nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The 2002 Gujarat pogrom was the first large-scale manifestation of violence by Hindu nationalists. The reason for the pogrom was a fire in a passenger train with Hindu pilgrims. A Muslim who was motivated by religious hatred was accused of arson.
At that moment, a large-scale wave of criticism was provoked by the appointment of BJP leader Narendra Modi (now Prime Minister of India) as the chief Minister of the state. Many experts are still convinced that Modi openly encouraged the provocations of Indian nationalists and inciting sectarian hostility.
In the late 2000s, such Hindu nationalist organizations as Abhinav Bharat, Rashtriya Jagran Manch and Sanatan Sanstha took part in terrorist acts throughout the country.
It is worth noting that even before the beginning of the BJP's rule, the Indian state was somewhat reluctant to recognize nationalist organizations guilty of terrorist attacks on the territory of the country. The only reason why the Indian special services at one time were forced to admit the guilt of the far-right in the attack on Muslims was the results of the work of the Anti-Terrorist Squad led by Hemant Karkare.
After a large-scale terrorist attack in September 2008 near a mosque in Malegaon, when six Muslims were killed and more than 100 injured, Karkare's team arrested 11 suspected Hindus associated with the secret far-right society "Abhinav Bharat". Extensive media coverage of the arrests helped spread the expressions "Hindu terror" and "saffron terror" in everyday political discussions in India and turned Karkare into a target for Hindu nationalists.
The main far-right groups began accusing the head of the counter-terrorism police department of "anti-Hinduism" and even organizing protests against him and his squad. Despite their efforts, for some time it seemed that the practice of blaming banned Muslim organizations for all terrorist attacks was coming to an end.
However, Karkare was killed in the line of duty during a terrorist attack in Mumbai on November 26, 2008. After his death, an active investigation into the links between the Hindu far-right and terrorist attacks against Muslims no longer continued, and the influence of nationalists on the security services and the political establishment increased even more.
The biggest blow to the saffron terror investigation in India came in 2014, when the BJP won the general election. In October 2015, Rohini Salian, the prosecutor in the case of the terrorist attacks in Malegaon, said that since the Hindu nationalist Party came to power, the leadership of the National Investigation Agency ordered her to commute the sentences in the saffron terror case.
In subsequent years, the investigation of such incidents led to the acquittal of all suspects associated with Hindu far-right groups.
Radical Hindus today
Although Hindu nationalist associations have adhered to a strict religious approach for decades, movements such as the RSS, the VHP and the Bajrang Dal really gained more confidence when Narendra Modi and his BJP party came to power in the country. The frequency of violent acts committed by Hindu groups has greatly increased. According to the database of the Pakistan Center for Strategic and Contemporary Studies, from then until December 2018, about 100 people were killed and about 60 injured in 74 incidents related to outbreaks of Hindu nationalism.
In the end, the non-interference of the State contributed to the fact that saffron terrorist groups began to influence domestic policy issues, reviving the so-called Hindutva nationalist ideology, which poses a threat to Indian religious minorities, especially Muslims and Christians. Hindutva adherents call themselves "Sangh Parivar", where "sangh" means "movement" and "parivar" means "family". Hindu nationalist organizations associated with the ideology of the RSS identify themselves as part of this movement, among them the BJP political party and the Bajrang Dal. In today's India, RSS militants armed with rods, bats and stones regularly organize pogroms in communities of national and religious minorities in the name of "Hindutva" or saffron terror.
When attacking their victims, especially Muslims, saffron nationalists often force them to read "Jai Sri Ram– - a slogan glorifying the Hindu god Rama. Or they offer victims a choice between life and death: to accept Hinduism or be killed. Such situations occur all over India, whether it is the Barpeta district in Assam or the crowded streets of Mumbai.
In modern India, even places of worship are not inviolable. Many mosques, like Babri in Ayodhya, built during the Mughal era, have been converted into Hindu temples. RSS militants have repeatedly demolished or set fire to Christian churches. So, in the fall of 2021, a church in Uttarakhand was attacked by a crowd of 200 radical Hindu nationalists during a Sunday service.
It is even more disturbing that the religious hatred of far-right nationalists extends beyond India. For example, the entire Sikh community is concerned about the increasing attacks of Hindu nationalists in Australian cities.
Challenges and threats
There are many factors influencing the increase in the frequency of violent attacks by Hindu groups.
Firstly, some regional experts believe that the State apparatus cultivates a sense of impunity: those who commit violence are not prosecuted. Secondly, investigations of the relevant authorities against suspected criminals are regularly postponed.
Thirdly, Hindu nationalist leaders openly voice their intention to turn India into a "Hindu Rashtra" – a Hindu theocratic state. In December 2014, BJP leader and RSS missionary Rajeshwar Singh stated that India should be cleansed of Muslims and Christians by December 31, 2021.
Recently, the problem of Hindu nationalism has become more widely covered. Nevertheless, it remains one of the least studied phenomena of terrorism.
In June 2018, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) classified the VHP and the Bajrang Dal as "combat religious detachments". The Global Terrorism Database, an authoritative database documenting terrorist attacks around the world, recognizes various groups of Hindus who have committed violent attacks.
The difficult economic situation in India contributes to the growth of saffron terrorism, which entails the need to distinguish it as a separate type of extremist threat. The growth of saffron terrorism will have far-reaching consequences for Indian national and religious minorities, as well as citizens of the country who oppose nationalist ideology.
In addition, the destabilization in India will certainly affect the stability in the region. In particular, an aggressive nationalist policy may aggravate the already difficult relations between India and Pakistan, which is also a nuclear power.
The growing concern about the convergence of interests of Hindu nationalists and far-right extremists can be traced at the global level. Therefore, it is extremely important that the international community, especially terrorism researchers, be able to assess the scale of the devastating consequences of saffron terrorism and contribute to the preparation of effective response mechanisms.
Since 1947, India has experienced many trials and serious crises. However, the rise of saffron terror and attacks on minorities, if left unchecked, will prove even more destructive to the sovereignty of the world's largest democracy.
Larisa Shashok
Larisa Aleksandrovna Shashok is a teacher at MGIMO (U) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
