Trads & Raitas: How far will Hindu Jihadists go to make India a Hindu Rashtra?
Apart from Omicron, a new and rather deadly epidemic has taken over the country. Right-wing extremist groups called “Trads” and “Raitas,” largely consisting of youngsters, have been plotting and planning to make India a “Hindu Rashtra” (Hindu-dominated country). Can the government be expected to do something about it or worse, are they a part of it?
The new year started off with numerous Muslim women getting exploited on an app called Bulli Bai. Five culprits have been arrested so far, out of which 2 claim to be a part of a group called “Trads.” This term isn’t quite popular since it was used for the first time by a law enforcement agency during the Sulli Deals case in July 2021. What are trads and why are they harmful?
According to The Print, “The Trads (short for traditionalists) are hardcore ‘protectors’ of the Sanatana Dharma, who are seen to be highly radicalized and believers in the notion that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is ‘soft’ on Muslims and Dalits.” In a nutshell, trads aim to make the Hindu caste, Brahmins to be specific, prevail in India and to give other castes, religions, and backward classes the worst treatment possible. They have oppressive views from the caste system to women empowerment. All of the accused in the “Bulli Bai” app are upper-caste, well-educated Hindus, who used their resources to shame and silence Muslim women.
While Trads are Brahminical patriarchs who compare Muslims, Dalits, and other minorities to cockroaches, the “Raitas” in comparison are slightly progressive. As the name suggests, the term “Raita” is derived from the phrase, “raita failana” (to botch up). Raitas are pro-Dalit and they are big fans of the Modi government, unlike the Trads who often post memes about him on the internet using the hashtag #MaulanaModi.
Trads and Raitas are arch-nemesis. In an operation conducted by The Print where they accessed Trad and Raita Telegram groups, a Raita member who agreed to speak with them in exchange for anonymity, called Trads a “xenophobic cult.” The Raitas usually post memes targeted at Trads whereas Trads’ content is extremely violent and disturbing.
This YT video is a must-watch to know more about these groups and how to identify them on social media platforms in order to keep oneself safe:
Despite spreading this kind of hatred and extremist views on a foundation so gigantic that they pulled off auctioning hundreds of Muslim women on an app they developed, why did it take the government so long to take action, and why are these groups still fearlessly expressing their horrendous views on the internet?
Back in April 2020, a dissatisfied employee of the BJP’s IT Cell tweeted about the presence of a secret app called, “Tek Fog.” The employee alleged that political operatives linked to the ruling party automate hate and manipulate public perceptions across major social media platforms in India. The Wire did an entire report on how everything in this app works, based on the information provided by the Twitter user.
Can the government that pays high wages to more than 150 employees who circulate acrimony on the basis of religion on the internet, so as to make the Hindu caste the leading caste in India (exactly what the Trads do), be expected to take measures against these radicalized groups of youngsters?
Hindu Jihadists are not only present online, though. Recently, in a conference held in Haridwar, Yati Narsinghanand, an influential religious leader, talked about Muslim genocide and how he would “wipe out the entire Muslim population of India and make it a Hindu nation.”
No action was taken by the police or government.
Another example of how India doesn’t live up to its status as a secular country is the ban on wearing hijabs in a government school in Karnataka. When the Muslim students of the school dissented to get their rights back, a group of Hindu right-wing students in Mangaluru staged a counter-protest saying that they’ll wear saffron scarves in class if the ban on hijabs was lifted. One of the Muslim students of the school commented:
“I just want permission to wear the hijab. We just want our rights, it is our right.”
While radicalized Islamophobia and Hindu extremism keep on accelerating in India, it is time to question everything around us. Is the government doing enough? Are we doing enough?
At the end of the day, Trads and Raitas are not merely people on the internet; it could be anyone from your neighbourhood uncle who passes slurs about minority communities to even you who refuses to acknowledge those slurs.
As we progress towards a digital age, what do you think the future of these cyber Hindutva groups will be? Will the government finally come to its senses? Let me know in the comments below!
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Until then, take care!
