Feminist alliance demands public condemnation, institutional accountability and removal of controversial videos; sets August 14 deadline for action
New Delhi: The All-India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA), part of the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), has written an open letter to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat and Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale, demanding action against right-wing commentator T.G. Mohandas over his controversial remarks concerning student protesters at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and women participating in the agitation.
The letter, issued on Quit India Day on August 9, seeks action and accountability before Independence Day and argues that statements advocating violence against protesting students and making derogatory comments about women cannot be dismissed merely by distancing an organisation from the speaker.
ALIFA has demanded a written and public condemnation of Mohandas by both the RSS and BJP, severance of any remaining platforms extended to him by Sangh Parivar-linked organisations, support for the legal process against him, and removal of the videos from public circulation while preserving certified copies for investigation.
Remarks on Jantar Mantar protesters trigger controversy
The controversy arose from videos published on Mohandas’s YouTube channel Pathrika in late July.
According to ALIFA’s letter, Mohandas described how, if he were in charge of dealing with the Jantar Mantar protesters, he would impose curfew, repeatedly order them to disperse and then open fire, even if some protesters were killed or permanently disabled. The organisation also cited remarks attributed to him making deeply derogatory claims about rape and women participating in the protest.
Independent reports have confirmed that Mohandas made controversial remarks about shooting protesters and women participating in the agitation. He subsequently described his remarks as satire and argued that excerpts had been taken out of the context of a longer video.
The RSS had distanced itself from Mohandas following the controversy, with a Kerala RSS functionary rejecting claims that he held an official position in the organisation.
Kerala Police case, Mohandas taken into custody
The Thiruvananthapuram Cyber Police registered an FIR against Mohandas on July 29 following complaints over the videos.
According to reports, the case invokes Sections 192 and 353(1)(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Section 66 of the Information Technology Act and Section 120(o) of the Kerala Police Act.
Mohandas was subsequently taken into custody by Kerala Police on August 9 in connection with the case.
This development is significant because ALIFA’s open letter, dated the same day, refers to the FIR and demands that the RSS and BJP support rather than obstruct the legal process against him.
ALIFA seeks institutional accountability
ALIFA argues that the controversy should not be treated solely as a matter concerning an individual speaker.
The alliance says Mohandas had previously served as convener of the BJP’s Intellectual Cell in Kerala and as a television spokesperson for the party. Its letter also refers to his past association with Bharatiya Vichara Kendram and other organisations associated with the Sangh ecosystem.
On that basis, ALIFA has asked the RSS and BJP to publicly condemn his remarks by name and sever any remaining organisational platforms or courtesies extended to him.
The alliance also wants the RSS leadership to affirm that citizens protesting against any government, irrespective of their political ideology, retain their dignity, agency and constitutional rights.
‘Silence is complicity’
ALIFA has set August 14 as the deadline for action.
The alliance warned that if Independence Day passes without a substantive response, it would regard the silence as an answer and publicly hold the RSS responsible for failing to ensure accountability.
“Silence is Complicity,” the letter states.
The letter was addressed to Bhagwat and Hosabale, with copies marked to the BJP national president, BJP Kerala president, Kerala Chief Minister, Kerala Home Minister, National Commission for Women chairperson and Kerala Women’s Commission chairperson.
ALIFA said it issued the appeal on Quit India Day to underline what it described as the democratic right to dissent, questioning and peaceful resistance.
Editorial note: The allegations and characterisations concerning T.G. Mohandas, the RSS and BJP in this report are attributed to ALIFA’s open letter. Mohandas has described his controversial remarks as satire, while the RSS has distanced itself from him.
Guru, this version is safer than reproducing the open letter as a straight press release because it clearly separates ALIFA’s allegations from established facts, includes Mohandas’s defence, records the RSS distancing, and adds the August 9 custody development.
