According to authorities, an ANTIFA group has claimed responsibility for the murder of a politician who was fatally shot while on a trip to visit a friend.
A String of Rebel Attacks
In 2020, there was a string of deadly attacks on members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party in Indian-controlled Kashmir, which lead to the deaths of a top Bharatiya Janata Party politician and his father and brother.
Kashmir is currently under divided control, with both India and Pakistan claiming the territory in its entirety. Because of this, rebel terrorists have been fighting the central government in Kashmir for decades. Muslims in the country have long supported the rebels and their goal of either uniting the territory under Pakistani rule or designating Kashmir as its own independent country.
The rebels have now found a new tactic: trying to appeal to western “liberals” by calling themselves ANTIFA.
Politician Murdered in the Streets
Rakesh Pandita, a Bharatiya Janata Party leader, was fatally shot while on a trip to visit a friend in the southern town of Tral. Usually, Pandita is accompanied by two police guards, but he chose to travel to Tral without them.
The Bharatiya Janata politician was later declared dead at the hospital.
The attack has been condemned by party leaders, including Manoj Sinha, New Delhi’s top administrator in Kashmir.
“Terrorists will never succeed in their nefarious designs, and those responsible for such heinous acts shall be brought to justice,” Sinha wrote.
Aditya Raj Kaul, a reporter in India, shared news about the politician’s murder on Twitter, noting that “Pakistani terror group Lashkar e Tayyiba front organisations have claimed responsibility for killing Kashmiri Pandit Rakesh Pandita in Tral of South Kashmir yesterday evening. Yet another brutal attack against minority community in Kashmir valley.”
Pakistani terror group Lashkar e Tayyiba front organisations have claimed responsibility for killing Kashmiri Pandit Rakesh Pandita in Tral of South Kashmir yesterday evening. Yet another brutal attack against minority community in Kashmir valley. pic.twitter.com/Qi1zWKM7R8
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) June 3, 2021
The “front” organization claiming responsibility for the murder is an Islamic terrorist group who call themselves the “People’s Anti-Fascist Front.”
The “ANTIFA” terrorist organization has issued a press release to explain their actions with bizarre excuses, writing:
“The cadres of People’s Anti Fascist Front neutralised a Fascist Hindu extremist Rakesh Pandit in Tral. This extremist was not only involved in creating a network of informers but was also involved in drug trafficking and other immoral activities.
If the Hindutva thugs believe that their evil designs can take roots in Kashmir then it is a delusion of great magnitude. We have an eye on every activity of theirs and we will deal with them appropriately.”
Disputing the Claims
An op-ed published by news outlet OP India denies these claims.
“It is important to mention here that the murder of Rakesh Pandita had nothing to do with politics and everything to do with his religion. He was murdered because he was Hindu. The Congress party and other opposition leaders by accusing the BJP of being ‘fascist’ have provided terrorists with a convenient excuse to indulge in terrorism,” the article states.
The writer of the op-ed also says that the fact that this terrorist group claims to be “anti fascist” is not a coincidence.
“It’s not just liberals in India that the statement is geared towards, it is also designed to appeal to western liberals,” the article reads. “Western liberals claim that anyone who is not a fascist is Antifa. That is how they have justified political violence against Conservatives in the United States of America and whitewashed the intense spell of rioting by Antifa in cities across the country.”
“Now, we are in a situation where Islamic terrorists have started calling themselves ‘Antifa’. The irony of the situation is enough to make heads explode in disbelief,” the article continues. “Islamic terrorists in Kashmir wish to appeal to western liberals by the usage of the term and since, those in the latter camp are predisposed to consider every Hindutvavadi a Nazi, terrorists might even succeed in finding takers for their extremist ideology among liberals in the West.”
