In an attempt to portray Hinduism as intolerant, Jo Chopra-McGowan, the co-founder and director of the Latika Roy Foundation (LRF), a voluntary organization based in Dehradun, Uttarakhand peddled a manipulative narrative and alleged that the state authorities had banned Christmas celebration.
In her now-deleted tweet, she had said, “Shopping yesterday in Dehradun – this state where #Christmas has been banned. In every shop, every person I met greeted me with a smile and a “Merry Christmas, Ma’am”. Sorry, #Hindutva. You can’t win. Indians are too open, too kind, too cool for your silly agenda of hate.”
However, netizens were quick to understand her malign intentions. One of the social media users, Alok Bhatt called out her actions and asked her to immediately delete her Tweet and render an apology.
Visibly irked Bhatt also tagged Uttrakhand police, requesting them to call Jo Chopra for questioning and take required action against her. He even asked the Home Ministry to investigate Jo’s citizenship records or visa terms.
The Uttrakhand police also issued a clarification stating nowhere in the state the Christmas celebrations were banned. Taking to its official Twitter handle, the Uttarakhand police wrote in Hindi, “Nowhere in the state was there a prohibition on the Christmas festival. This event has been enthusiastically celebrated by the Christian brethren throughout the state. It is an appeal to all of you not to pay heed to the rumours that are tainted by such religious malpractices. Here, in the state of Uttarakhand, as per the Constitution of India, all religions are respected equally.”
The Latika Roy Foundation is a voluntary organization in India working with children and adults who have developmental and other disabilities
