Who is Sohail Hashmi, the ‘historian’ who got fined Rs. 1 LAKH.. for filing a motivated petition against Central Vista project
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The Delhi High Court in end May 2021 dismissed a ‘motivated’ plea filed to stall the construction of Central Vista project which is of national importance. Moreover, the petitioner- Sohail Hashmi a “historian”, writer and filmmaker was also fined Rs 1 lakh by the bench for filing a plea that was ‘not genuine’.
Who is Sohail Hashmi?
A filmmaker and writer, Sohail Hashmi is the brother of Shabnam Hashmi- founder of a so-called NGO Anhad and Safdar Hashmi- a communist leader who was killed by Congress goons in 1989.
Going by his Twitter handle @Dilliwal, the filmmaker seems to be a favorite of the Congress mouthpiece National Herald to which he contributed regularly and is also a staunch Modi despiser.
From supporting his sister who says “unfurling the flag of Palestine in India is no crime” to calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a fascist and a butcher, the writer has definitely written some callous pieces.
The history buff as known by many and a ‘heritage enthusiast’ famous for carrying out heritage walks in Delhi, Hashmi has also featured in a YouTube series stripping India of every achievement and belonging.
“Most things we deem Indian are not originally from this land we perch our derriere on,” says Hashmi while asking “Yeh Hindustani kis chidiya ka naam hai?” Not sparing even the language, Hashmi questions, “Remove Urdu words such as agar, magar, mushkil, andar, bahar, teer, talwar, auzaar and wazan, what will remain in our speech?”
Hashmi also contributes regularly to The Wire where he wrote about Centre’s Central Vista project, encroachment by Hindus and the right to dissent.
Hashmi who seems to be a part of the ‘India intolerant’ brigade, in an interview talking about his brother Safdar remarked, “There weren’t lynch mobs (that time). Today, it is a crime to be born Muslim.” It is to be noted that Safdar Hashmi was lynched to death in 1989 by Congress goons and Congress leader Mukesh Sharma was convicted of the murder amongst others.
Sohail Hashmi’s daughter Sania Hashmi, daughter of Sohail Hashmi is also a member of NGO Anhad, a vocal activist and a filmmaker.
She is a part of Anhad Films that made two films on Muzaffarnagar riots, Mirchpur attacks and Bol Ke Lab Azaad Hain Terey on sexual harassment for Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT), an organisation run by veteran film personalities. She had also assisted director Subhash Kapoor on the 2007 Sanjay Suri-starrer cricket film Say Salaam India.
The duo not only appears to be an Aurangzeb sympathizer but also seems to be vocal to label India intolerant which was evident in an interview to the Indian Express.
Hashmi had said, “If he was a temple destroyer, why didn’t Aurangzeb demolish the Buddhist, Jain and Kailasa (Hindu) temples Ellora.
It is to be noted that Aurangzeb not only destroyed Hindu temples but also ordered beheading of Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur for refusing to convert to Islam. The apologists, however, continue to whitewash his crimes and glorify the barbaric Mughal emperor.
Shabnam Hashmi and ANHAD:
Shabnam Hashmi, Sohail’s sister, has worked as an ‘activist’ since Gujarat’s 2002 riots formed an NGO ANHAD (Act Now for Harmony and Democracy) in 2003. Its FCRA license was recently canceled by the government based on inputs from intelligence agency for misusing foreign funds and working against the public interest.
Shabnam Hashmi, often helps Congress leaders in spreading falsehoods and lies and eventually ends up blaming ‘well intentioned trusted person’ for sending her a ‘misleading’ WhatsApp forwarded message.
It is interesting to note how both the Hashmi siblings, Sohail and Shabnam, appear to be going out of their way to spread the narrative of the very party whose leaders killed their own brother.
(Author: Akshita Bhadauria | 31 May, 2021)
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