Both Ranaut and Surya have a history of using social media for rumour-mongering and publishing defamatory posts with complete impunity. However, the specific posts highlighted in the story are not just “controversial”, they also cross the threshold of hate speech by all standards.
Ranaut’s call for state-sponsored violence was made when the situation on the ground was still very sensitive and prone to further escalation. The tweet, which had been shared multiple times before the account was deleted, played an instrumental role in communalising the Bengal violence through misinformation.
Therefore, Ranaut’s “speech” was “openly inciting violence”, “instrumental in furthering disharmony among religious groups”, “and furthering the circulation of rumours causing hatred or ill-will” – making it, prima facie, a classic case for hate speech.
Then there is Surya and his series of communal commentary. What makes Surya’s commentary qualify as hate speech is the…