Day 78: Anurag Thakur — The "Goli Maaro" Chant
THE CHARGE On January 27, 2020, Anurag Thakur, then Union Minister of State for Finance, led a crowd at a Delhi election rally in a chant: "Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalon ko" ("Shoot the traitors of the country"). The chant was repeated by the crowd. Thakur was accused of inciting violence under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between groups) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code. The Delhi Police later filed a chargesheet against him, but no conviction has been secured.
THE BACKSTORY Anurag Thakur, a four-term BJP MP from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, was a rising star in the party by 2020. The son of former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, he had been inducted into the Modi cabinet in 2019 as Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs. His political career was built on aggressive Hindutva rhetoric, and by 2020, he was a key campaigner for the BJP in the Delhi Assembly elections.
The rally where the chant occurred was part of the BJP’s campaign against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests, which had erupted across India in late 2019. The protests, led by students and civil society, were framed by the BJP as "anti-national." Thakur’s chant was not an isolated incident—it followed weeks of escalating rhetoric from BJP leaders, including calls to "shoot the traitors" and warnings that protesters would be "taught a lesson." The Delhi elections were held on February 8, 2020, just days after the rally. The BJP lost, securing only 8 of 70 seats.
THE MECHANISM The chant was captured on multiple videos, including by news outlets like NDTV and The Wire. In the footage, Thakur is seen raising his fist and shouting the first half of the slogan: "Desh ke gaddaron ko..." The crowd responds: "Goli maaro saalon ko." Thakur then repeats the first half, and the crowd responds again. The exchange lasts less than 10 seconds but was replayed repeatedly on news channels and social media.
The Delhi Police, under the Union Home Ministry, initially registered an FIR against Thakur on January 30, 2020, based on a complaint by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Amanatullah Khan. However, the investigation moved slowly. In February 2020, the Delhi High Court directed the police to take "conscious and careful" action on the FIR, but no immediate arrests were made. Thakur continued to campaign, and the BJP defended him, arguing that the chant was "taken out of context."
The violence that followed the rally was more consequential. On February 23, 2020, clashes broke out in Northeast Delhi between CAA supporters and protesters, leading to riots that killed 53 people, most of them Muslim. While no direct link was established between Thakur’s chant and the riots, the Delhi Police’s chargesheet in the larger conspiracy case (FIR 59/2020) named several BJP leaders, including Kapil Mishra, for inflammatory speeches. Thakur’s chant was cited as part of the "build-up" to the violence.
THE INVESTIGATION The Delhi Police, which reports to the Union Home Ministry, investigated the case. In August 2020, they filed a chargesheet against Thakur and fellow BJP leader Parvesh Verma (who had made similar remarks) under Sections 153A and 505 of the IPC. The chargesheet relied heavily on video evidence and witness statements.
However, the investigation faced criticism for its selective approach. While Thakur and Verma were chargesheeted, no action was taken against other BJP leaders who had made similar remarks, such as Union Minister Giriraj Singh. The Delhi Police also did not pursue charges under more serious sections, such as Section 120B (criminal conspiracy), which was applied in the larger riots case.
The case was transferred to a magistrate’s court, where it remains pending. Thakur, now Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, has not faced any legal consequences. The Delhi Police have not provided updates on the investigation since the chargesheet was filed.
THE LEGAL STATUS The case is pending before a Delhi court. Thakur has not been convicted, acquitted, or discharged. The chargesheet was filed in August 2020, but no trial has commenced. The legal proceedings have been stalled, with no recent hearings reported.
THE PATTERN Thakur’s chant was not an aberration but part of a larger pattern of political rhetoric that frames dissent as treason. Since 2014, BJP leaders have repeatedly used terms like "anti-national," "tukde-tukde gang," and "urban Naxal" to delegitimize protests. The "goli maaro" chant was an escalation—it did not just label protesters as traitors but called for their elimination.
This rhetoric has been accompanied by a rise in vigilante violence, often targeting Muslims and Dalits. In 2015, a mob in Dadri lynched Mohammad Akhlaq over rumors of beef consumption. In 2017, BJP MP Nalin Kumar Kateel called for the "beheading" of those who opposed the government. In 2018, Union Minister Jayant Sinha garlanded men convicted of lynching. Thakur’s chant fit into this ecosystem, where political speech normalizes violence against perceived enemies.
THE QUESTION NOBODY ANSWERED Why did the Delhi Police, which filed a chargesheet against Thakur, not pursue more serious charges, such as criminal conspiracy, when his chant was cited in the larger riots case? The chargesheet in FIR 59/2020 (the main riots case) mentions Thakur’s speech as part of the "build-up" to the violence, yet he was not named as an accused in that case. Was this a deliberate omission, and if so, who authorized it?
This newsletter reports documented allegations, court records, and published investigations. Readers are encouraged to consult primary sources.