RSS disavows Hindutva ideologue's violent remarks against student protesters
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has distanced itself from controversial comments made by Hindutva ideologue T.G. Mohandas regarding student protests at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. The protests, which occurred in July, were against irregularities in the NEET exam and led to the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
In a video posted on his YouTube channel on July 26, Mohandas said that if he were in control, he "would have shot" the protesters. In another video, he made remarks suggesting that secular women participating in protests "enjoy being gangraped." These statements drew widespread condemnation.
K. B. Sreekumar, Saha Prantha Karyavah (South Kerala) of the RSS, issued a statement on behalf of the organisation. He said that Mohandas's comments were "his personal thoughts" and that Mohandas "is not an RSS official at any level." Sreekumar added that the RSS does not agree with his views and that "such views should be condemned in every highest possible manner."
In the 30-minute video, Mohandas described a hypothetical scenario: "I will impose a curfew in about a 4 square kilometre area around Jantar Mantar. Then I would announce thrice for the crowd to disperse. After that, I will open fire. People will scatter away and run for their lives. Some may die, some may suffer disabilities. Within four hours, the situation will be calm. Then I will collect the bodies and take them to hospitals." He also said, "Gangrapes will happen. In this case, there won’t be any complaints as these are people who like being raped. There are women who like being raped, especially Leftists, secular, democratic and proletarians."
Kerala's Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala ordered a police investigation into the remarks, following complaints from the All India Youth Federation (AIYF), Students' Federation of India (SFI), Youth Congress, and the People's Democratic Party. Inspector General of Police P. Prakash was directed to carry out the investigation. Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan demanded a case be registered against Mohandas, stating that his comments "reflected the Sangh Parivar’s desire to curb dissent."
After facing backlash, Mohandas clarified that his remarks were intended to be "satirical" and "hypothetical." He alleged that short clips from his videos were taken out of context.
