ISLAMABAD – Microblogging platform Twitter has removed a post of the Indian ruling party that featured a cartoon depicting Muslim men being hanged following a court verdict that sentenced 38 people to death back in 2008.
The official handle of the BJP Gujarat division Saturday shared the post that featured a group of men which can be seen hanging while the caption reads “No mercy to the perpetrators of terror.”
Twitter takes action amid an outcry on social media, as activists slammed the ruling party for the anti-Muslim post.
(screengrab of removed post)
Indian lawmaker, the President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, Asaduddin Owaisi said “Cartoons were used widely in genocides of Jews in Germany and Tutsis in Rwanda. We expect nothing better from BJP, but should we assume that this appeals to BJP’s voters?”
Indian National Congress members also lamented the rising Islamophobia under the Hindu nationalist government.
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Following the outcry, BJP’s media cell convener in Gujarat said “we had no intention to target any community through the sketch as it was based on photographs of the convicts published by the newspapers”.
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