A New Tool to Spiral Hate Politics: ‘Pigs as Pets’

In Delhi’s Tri Nagar, some Hindu families appear to have embraced a new form of devotion and a way to deter Muslim neighbours — pigs. The animals are kept in cages at homes, while the walls display posters of a powerful, pig-faced deity adorned in jewellery, much like other gods, as per news reports. “This is happening in the locality near the Muslim locality. The pigs in the cage are named Abdul or Rahman or some such name and when any Muslim passes by these words are shouted loudly. Parallel to this is the well decorated, adorned with armaments picture of Lord Varaha, supposed to be the third reincarnation of Lord Vishnu,” say the reports.

Read Also: Did Gods Eat Meat?

While some claim that this trend has started a year ago, others hold that this is just a few months-old phenomenon. The dislike of Muslims for pigs is well known and this is seen as a method aimed at provoking Muslims in some way. Such techniques are usually applied as a prelude to creating walls of hatred amongst the communities.

One does not know whose fertile and hateful imagination started this trend, and whether this is restricted to only one locality in Delhi, but surely it is widely feared that one more divisive tool may be picked up in more places, adding to the armamentarium of those who benefit from spreading hate and thereby violence.

Interestingly, Islamophobia has become a dominant global phenomenon after 9/11, propagated by the US media by coining the phrase “Islamic terrorism”. So, it was eye opening and interesting to find that a similar thing took place in New York, in front of the House of its mayor Zohran Mamdani. “Last month, MAGA supporters in New York organised a pig roast in front of Muslim mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office. But the funniest part about such incidents remains that they’re is based on a misunderstanding rooted in ignorance. Hindus and Christians can eat all the pork they want and keep pigs as pets—that does not bother Muslims,” said a news report.

In the past few years, pig was not much of a pretext, it was cow that dominated the scene in India. Recall that the pig was used as an instrument for communal politics during the freedom struggle by the communal forces. At that time, both pig and cow were in the forefront as the pretext of instigating violence. One recalls the outstanding mini television serial Tamas by Govind Nihalani, based on the award-winning book by Bhisham Sahni. In this story Nathu, an outcaste, is given some money by a Muslim politician to kill a pig and put it in the mosque. The communal politician is very clear that this will lead to the violence, increasing his social-political stature.

In recent times, there have been scattered incidents in which beef was reportedly kept in the temples to instigate communal violence. In most such cases, it was alleged that Bajrang Dal activists had kept the beef. “Four people including Moradabad district president of Bajrang Dal Monu Bishnoi have been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police for slaughtering a cow and trying to implicate a Muslim man in a false case. They have also been accused of conspiring against the police,” said a news report. There have been several cases of vigilante groups attacking those carrying cattle. There is a big chain of such vigilante groups making merry in the name of opposing cow slaughter.

Such the cow-related violence has led to the emergence of the phenomenon of lynching. Media has widely reported over 100 lynchings during the past 10 years. Starting from Pehlu Khan in Dadri, the intensity of lynching has been reaching horrific proportions. All these cases are heart wrenching. The case of  Junaid is particularly very disturbing. “16-year-old boy Junaid Khan along with his brother was riding on a train. He was asked to provide a seat by an elderly man which he immediately did. But subsequently a crowd of 25 men surrounded him and began chanting “beefeaters” and “Pakistani”.9 Junaid was stabbed and died.”

What is disturbing is how the communal forces devise new mechanisms to create hatred after which violence follows. A lot has been written on hate speech by those indulging in communal politics. While right from the Prime Minister downward, new hate slogans are floated and passed, the foot soldiers of these tendencies take it further down and make the life of Hindus and Muslim communities more miserable, as after this they cannot live in the neighbourhood.

The famous speeches from the PM, like ‘Hum do, Hamare do’ (we two ours two), and “they can be recognised by their clothes”. From Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath’s “batenge to kitenge” (If we (Hindus) are divided) we will be killed) are supplemented by equally dangerous one’s, and from the likes of Akbaruddin Owaisi, who had said that if police is withdrawn for even 15 minutes, “Muslims will show their real might. “In a highly controversial speech delivered in Adilabad in December 2012, AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi remarked that if the police were removed for 15 minutes, his community (referring to "25 crore Muslims") would demonstrate their strength against "100 crore" Hindus,” said a report.

The most disturbing aspect of the present introduction of pig (varaha) in the political battleground of communalism, is the capacity of the divisive forces to introduce newer mechanisms into their politics. Inter-community closeness, which was the hallmark of our Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb (syncretic culture) is going for a toss. This pig element will ensure that Hindus and Muslims can’t even live in the same neighbourhood. Already Muslims are being forced into living in ghettos; with the pig element coming in; being introduced by the new social engineering now, will create partitions between the communities (Hindus-Muslims) and is feared to become wider, unless we nip it in the bud, and unless we ensure that the artificially introduced adoption of pigs by Hindus is discouraged. People are free to choose their pets and Gods so far, they don’t cross the limits to humiliate any other community.

Just a reminder: Lord Varaha had come as a saviour, and the adoption of pigs in the present manner could have negative implications.

The writer is a human rights activist, who taught at IIT Bombay. The views are personal.