RSS Leader TG Mohandas Defends Remarks on Student Protests
Says viral video was taken out of context, claims comments were satirical and part of a hypothetical discussion
- RSS ideologue TG Mohandas defends controversial remarks on handling student protests.
- Says viral clips were taken out of context from a longer YouTube discussion.
- Maintains his comments on police firing were hypothetical and satirical.
- Opposition leaders continue to criticise the remarks as endorsing violence.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 27th July: RSS ideologue TG Mohandas has defended his controversial remarks suggesting that protesters at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar should be shot to restore order, saying the comments were satirical, hypothetical and taken out of context after short clips from a longer online discussion went viral.
The controversy erupted after a video circulated on social media in which Mohandas appeared to suggest that, if he had the authority, he would impose a curfew around Jantar Mantar, issue repeated warnings to protesters to disperse and then order police firing to restore order.
The remarks were made against the backdrop of nationwide student protests over the alleged NEET paper leak, during which demonstrators demanded the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Protests in Delhi turned violent on July 20 after police used tear gas and batons to stop marchers heading towards Parliament.
Apart from his comments on handling the protests, Mohandas also drew criticism for remarks about women made during the same discussion, which opposition leaders and activists described as objectionable.
Responding to the controversy, Mohandas told NDTV that the widely circulated video clips represented only a small portion of a 31-minute discussion uploaded on the Pathrika Malayalam YouTube channel.
He said the one-minute excerpts had stripped his remarks of their context and argued that Malayalam humour, satire and idiomatic expressions often lose their intended meaning when translated into English.
Explaining his comments on opening fire, Mohandas said they were intended as a hypothetical illustration of the standard sequence followed by civil authorities while dealing with violent riots, including imposing curfew, issuing repeated warnings and, if required under law, using force to restore order.
According to Mohandas, the broader discussion contrasted what he described as the emotional responses of ordinary citizens with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s approach to governance, arguing that the Prime Minister weighs larger national and geopolitical considerations before taking decisions.
He also alleged that the controversy was initially amplified by MediaOne and later widely circulated by Left-leaning social media users.
Despite his clarification, the original remarks have continued to draw criticism from opposition leaders, who accused the RSS ideologue of endorsing violence against protesters and making deeply offensive comments about women. No official response from the RSS had been issued on the matter at the time of writing.
