All India Hindu Mahasabha urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday to take strong action against the 49 eminent personalities

The All India Hindu Mahasabha urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday to take strong action against 49 eminent personalities, who had written to him on lynching of minorities and hate crimes in the country.

Launching a counter-attack, leaders of the Mahasabha posted 101 letters written in blood to the prime minister, saying "such traitors should be charged with sedition and all their national awards should be withdrawn".

On July 23, 49 personalities, including filmmakers Mani Ratnam, Anurag Kashyap, Shyam Benegal and Aparna Sen as well as vocalist Shubha Mudgal and historian Ramchandra Guha, in a letter to the prime minister, expressed concern at the number of "religious identity-based hate crimes" and noted that 'Jai Shri Ram' has become a provocative war cry with many lynchings taking place in its name.

Ashok Pande, national spokesperson of the mahasabha, told media persons here on Tuesday that the issue of "so-called mob lynchings" of Muslims and Dalits was being perpetrated to defame the country.

Pande said this "conspiracy should be unveiled and those spreading the canard of mob lynchings should be put to task".

"Such human rights groups are trying to become the champion of minorities and Dalits but were always silent when Hindus were targeted in Kashmir valley or when terrorists were spilling Hindu blood," Pande said, adding that such groups were trying to "divide the country".

Meanwhile, the Hindu Jagran Manch, another Hindutva outfit, has threatened to launch a state-wide agitation, demanding the suspension of Aligarh District Magistrate Chandrabhushan Singh for imposing a ban on religious functions on streets, including holding of "aartis" and chanting of Hanuman Chalisa.

The state president of the manch, Surendra Singh Chauhan vented his anger at the DM for filing a case against Surendra Singh Bhagor, state general secretary of the manch.

Last week, police had filed a case against Bhagor for threatening the DM with dire consequences over the ban order.

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