The Official Website of his holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

New Delhi, Jan 14 (TruthDive): Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has denounced the term ‘Hindu terror’. In an interview to a TV channel, spiritual leader and founder of the Art of Living Foundation (founded 1982) an NGO (non-governmental organization) with UNESCO consultative status, which aims at relieving both individual stress and societal problems and violence said that for centuries Hinduism has been the most tolerant of all religions and never given sanction to terrorism.

He admitted that there might have been backlash since violence is not just one religion’s trait. He said by giving terrorism the tag of Hinduism was not justified since the religious tag to it was not needed and “terrorism is terrorism”. Art of Living proponent Sri Sri Ravi Shankar today regretted that the government was not doing anything to propagate yoga, instead it was levying service tax on centers teaching the ancient practice.

It was in the aftermath of the 29 September bomb blast in the predominantly Muslim town of Malegaon in the western state of Maharashtra that the term “Hindu terrorism” or “saffron terrorism” came to be used widely. That was because the state police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested 10 Hindus following the blasts. According to a secret US diplomatic cable from New Delhi released by WikiLeaks, Rahul Gandhi had told United States ambassador Timothy Roemer that the growth of ‘radicalised Hindu groups’, which create religious tensions in India, could pose a bigger threat to the country than activities of groups like Lashkar-e-Tayiba.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has decided to reinvestigate the 2006 Malegaon blasts case. With the progress of the investigation, the alleged confession of Swami Aseemanand, and the aspect of right-wing terror coming out, the whole dimension of the case has been changed.

Read the article on Truth Dive.