Mumbai: A disturbing incident outside Mumbai’s Tata Hospital has sparked outrage and ignited an online debate about religious intolerance. A Muslim woman was allegedly denied free food, meant for patients and their relatives, simply because she refused to chant the Hindu slogan “Jai Shri Ram” at the command of the distributor.
A video of the incident, which has gone viral on social media, shows a hijab-clad woman standing in line for a free meal being distributed by an unnamed NGO near Tata Hospital on Jerbai Wadia Road.
The man distributing the food, upon noticing the woman, demanded she chant “Jai Shri Ram” before receiving food. When she refused, he insisted that she would not receive food unless she said the slogan.
He further escalated the situation by threatening to kick her, stating, “Laat marunga” (I’ll kick you), when she asserted that she wasn’t standing on his father’s property.
The incident has triggered widespread condemnation on social media, with users expressing their shock and anger at the distributor’s blatant discrimination and prejudice.”They are not an NGO if they refuse to give food just because someone isn’t chanting the slogan they want! Disgusting,” one user wrote, highlighting the hypocrisy of an organisation claiming to provide charity while imposing religious conditions.
Other users pointed fingers at the political climate, speculating that the NGO might be linked to the BJP-RSS, a political alliance known for its Hindu nationalist agenda. They condemned the growing trend of targeting minorities and fueling hatred against marginalised communities. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the NGO is funded by the BJP-RSS. This is happening in pan-India. The ecosystem is being fed with so much hatred against the marginalised and minorities in India,” one more user wrote.
“Is this what Hinduism is? Is this what Ram stands for?” a user questioned, exposing the hypocrisy of using religious beliefs to justify discriminatory behaviour.
