A few months ago, journalist Abhijit Majumder became the focal point of scrutiny by the Tamil Nadu Police. The law enforcement authorities went as far as reaching out to a media house in Noida, actively seeking Abhijit without the issuance of any prior summons. On the morning of 30 September 2023, Abhijit Majumder took to his social media platform, X, to share a disconcerting incident.
What a day.
Got a call from the media house I write and do TV for that 4 Tamil Nadu cops came looking for me for a piece I had written criticising Udhayanidhi Stalin’s call to eradicate Sanatan Dharma.
Apparently, FIR has been filed.
Then lawyers, cops.
They say Modi is fascist.— Abhijit Majumder (@abhijitmajumder) September 29, 2023
In an X post today (20 December 2023), Abhijit updated that he had been summoned by the Tamil Nadu police for the second time to Chennai, having already attended the first summons. Notably, this action came after an FIR was filed in September and four Tamil Nadu police officers were dispatched to Noida in search of him.
Tamil Nadu police have called me a second time to Chennai (I went the first time too) for writing a piece criticising Udhayanidhi Stalin’s call to end Sanatan Dharma.
This after filing an FIR and sending four TN cops to Noida looking for me.
FoS 🙂 https://t.co/ZzBrkjFz42— Abhijit Majumder (@abhijitmajumder) December 20, 2023
This police action against freedom of speech is a result of a piece authored by Abhijit in early September 2023 for FirstPost. In his analysis, he delved into the political implications of a controversial speech delivered by Udhayanidhi Stalin, the son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.
What Was The Article About?
Abhijit Majumder’s FirstPost article delves into the potential unintended consequences of Udhayanidhi Stalin’s contentious speech, suggesting that it might have inadvertently favored the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tamil Nadu. The analysis, titled “Udhayanidhi Stalin’s call for Hindu genocide does BJP a big favour in Tamil Nadu,” seems to have sparked displeasure within the Tamil Nadu government, with the term “genocide” emerging as a focal point of contention.
In the article, he also wrote, “Udhayanidhi Stalin’s message has also gone out loud and clear. The innate bigotry and violence of it may gladden many of his supporters, but it will also polarise and consolidate votes against him,”.
“His own mother is a devout, practising Hindu. In that sense, his rant is not just anti-Hindu and anti-Bharat, but it is also in a sense matricidal. The DMK may not be able to live it down,”, he wrote further.
What Did Udhayanidhi Stalin Say At The Conference?
To provide context, in September 2023, Udhayanidhi Stalin addressed the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists’ Association’s conference titled “Eradicate Sanathana Dharma Conference.” During his speech, he made incendiary remarks, stating, “The title of this conference has been excellently coined. You’ve named it ‘Abolish Sanatanam Conference’ and not ‘Oppose Sanatanam Conference’, so my best wishes to that.” He compared Hinduism to mosquitoes and diseases like dengue, flu, malaria, and coronavirus, asserting that these aspects should not be opposed but entirely eradicated. Udhayanidhi Stalin further criticised the concept of Sanatan Dharma, describing it as being opposed to equality and social justice. He questioned the meaning of “Sanatanam” and labelled it as something that cannot be changed or questioned.
He said, “Mosquitoes, dengue, flu, malaria, corona – we should not oppose these things. They’ve to be eradicated completely. The same is the case with Santanam (Hinduism). Our first work should be to abolish/eradicate Sanatanam instead of opposing it. So, my appreciation to you all for giving an apt title to the meeting“.
He also further went on to say, “What is Sanathanam? The name Sanatanam itself comes from Sanskrit. Sanathanam is opposed to equality and social justice. What is the meaning of Sanatanam? Eternal or something that can’t be changed. Something that can’t be questioned. That is the meaning of Sanatanam.”
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