On Tuesday, Twitterati stood up in support of Richa Bharti, a Ranchi college student who had been arrested for a Facebook status.
On Tuesday, Twitterati stood up in support of Richa Bharti, a Ranchi college student who had been arrested for a Facebook status.
Bharti had been released on a bail on a Rs 14,000 and had been asked by the judge to distribute 5 Qurans to various organisations.
Support poured in for Richa Bharti on Twitter with several netizens offering to help.
Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy said he had requested his friend and minister in Saryu Rai to look into the matter.
: I have requested my friend and Minister in Jharkhand Govt Shri Saryu Rai to look into it. Ask this brave girl to meet him
— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) July 16, 2019
JNU Professor and author Anand Ranganathan called it shocking and wondered how the media would’ve reacted if a ‘Muslim had been ordered to distribute the Gita as a condition for bail’
SHOCKING. Hindu woman ordered to distribute Quran as a condition for her bail. She refused. BRAVO.
— Anand Ranganathan (@ARanganathan72) July 16, 2019
Imagine if a Muslim was ordered to distribute Gita as a condition for bail - our media would have cried SANGHI JUDICIARY for a week.
I stand with Richa Bharti. And so should YOU. pic.twitter.com/FqHlR6D7vb
BJP Delhi spokesperson Tajinder Singh Bagga asked if anyone had a contact number and offered to help her file a petition in the Supreme Court.
Incidentally, a BJP youth leader from Bengal, Priyanka Sharma had been arrested for sharing a meme on Mamata Banerjee and had moved SC after being arrested.
Advocate Ishkaran Singh Bhandari called her a courageous girl and said adverse situations led to courage, comparing her to African-American activist Rosa Parks who refused to relinquish her seat to a white passenger in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama and is known as the ‘first lady of civil rights’.
Courage can be found in adverse Situations anywhere, there was Rosa Parks in USA & then there is Ms Richa Bharti in Ranchi.
— Ishkaran Singh Bhandari (@Ish_Bhandari) July 16, 2019
Author Shefali Vaidya wondered how many ‘liberal Muslims’ would come out to defend Bharti and said they’d be ‘frothing at the mouth’ of TikTok star Faisu had been asked to distribute the Gita.
I would like to see how many self-certified ‘liberal Muzlims’ come out to defend #RichaBharti and her right to say NO to distributing Quran. If that A-hole Fsisu something was asked to distribute Geeta, every Jamaat-E-Fiberal guy would have been frothing at the mouth!
— Shefali Vaidya ஷெஃபாலி வைத்யா शेफाली वैद्य (@ShefVaidya) July 16, 2019
Rebel AAP MLA Kapil Mishra wondered how a secular court could ask someone to distribute copies of Quran, that too on condition of bail.
संविधान का उल्लंघन किया हैं तो उसे संविधान की कॉपी बांटने को कहे, फिर भी समझ आता हैं
— Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishra_IND) July 16, 2019
लेकिन धर्मनिरपेक्ष देश का धर्मनिरपेक्ष न्यायालय किसी को क़ुरान की कॉपी बांटने का आदेश कैसे दे सकता हैं
वो भी जमानत की शर्त के रूप में
मतलब क़ुरान बांटो वर्ना जेल जाओ
ये कौन सा कानून हैं
1. 'Salute to Richa Bharti'
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#Respect for Richa Bharti. Have the courts become a tool for conversion? Stick to your conviction, girl. ‘Svadharme nidhanam shreyah, paradharmo bhayavahah’. https://t.co/NMMRuYCxSI
— Sanjay Dixit ಸಂಜಯ್ ದೀಕ್ಷಿತ್ संजय दीक्षित (@Sanjay_Dixit) July 16, 2019
Just spoke to Richa Bharti's Father..
— Ritu (सत्यसाधक) #EqualRightsToHindus (@RituRathaur) July 16, 2019
Dear Hindus , get ready to stand by Richa..& help the family both legally and financially..
Let's do this for this veerangana! https://t.co/R1GiKjKhlZ
Salute to this girl #RichaBharti. Absolutely brilliant!
— Sandeep Kumar Shivhare (@SKS_Shivhare) July 16, 2019
It's a tugalaki farman & abuse of judiciary powers by judge #ManishSingh. Please remove him asap.
Who is controlling Indian judiciary? Rather than draconian judge promotions, judiciary selection board is need of the hour. pic.twitter.com/kfZEk3385X
I stand with #RichaBharti
— Ravi Bhushan (@imravi_b) July 16, 2019
pic.twitter.com/ciB6ySKhaJ
I am in awe of brave Indians such as Richa Bharti. If the BJP wants a long term future, it should immediately give people like her MLA/MP tickets. Else this party too can die due to over-centralisation and ideological confusion. Of course, that could take many election cycles.
— Harsh Gupta मधुसूदन (@harshmadhusudan) July 16, 2019
Where are we heading? #RichaBharti pic.twitter.com/emieE4aKaU
— Messenger Of TrueIndology (@TIinExile) July 16, 2019
And I love the defiant attitude of #RichaBharti
— हम भारत के लोग (@India_Policy) July 16, 2019
Today, our Bureucracy, our Media, our Judiciary have all become anti Hindu, but Hindu jaag gaya hai.
We will defy them. pic.twitter.com/ESohL1PRDI
High court must take note of this unconstitutional demand of the magistrate while granting bail to Richa Bharti. Why ask a Hindu to distribute the copies of Quran? Also, all her questions are logical, the whole world is asking them, will you arrest all?pic.twitter.com/eNSS0oraLA
— Sonam Mahajan (@AsYouNotWish) July 16, 2019
2. Shocked I was arrested for a Facebook post
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Expressing shock that she had been arrested for a Facebook post, she told Zee News: “When I posted on Facebook, I didn't think it would become such a big deal. I had posted something and I never realised that Muslims from my own mohalla would get me sent to jail. “
After being granted bail by a local court, she had been asked to distribute five Qurans. Expressing her dissent, she said: “I am not ready to distribute Qurans. There are lots of Muslims who post a lot of wrong things. There's no action against them. Like Faisu had posted a video on TikTok saying if Muslims become terrorists, then one shouldn't blame them.”
3. 'Are Muslims ever asked to read Hanuman Chalisa?'
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She further said: “Why do only Muslims want to become terrorists? Why don't Kashmiri Pandits feel the need for revenge? Why don't they feel like becoming terrorists? Why do only Muslims become terrorists?"
Expressing her dissent, she said: “I will not distribute Qurans. Tomorrow they will say, accept Islam. Has a Muslim ever been asked to Ramayana paath or Mahabharata paath? Are Muslims ever asked to read Hanuman Chalisa?
A case was registered against her in Pithoria Police station when she shared a message on Facebook asking why 'only became terrorists seeking revenge'.
Her arrest drew strong condemnations from the locals and several Hindu organisations. On Saturday, they'd staged a dharna outside the local police station.
