BJP Suspends Nine Activists Amid Public Fury Over Alleged Insults to Kashmiri Women

SRINAGAR: Amid intense public outrage in the Valley, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has suspended nine office bearers from its Anantnag district unit for allegedly organising and participating in what it now terms as “unauthorised” Tiranga rally during which slogans widely condemned as derogatory to Kashmiri women were raised.

The party has removed all nine individuals from their posts with immediate effect and suspended their primary membership pending further inquiry.

In an official order, District president Rakesh Koul stated that the rally, held on August 5 at Housing Colony Khanabal, took place without permission from either the district unit or the local administration. The order emphasised that the party had taken “serious note” of the “objectionable and derogatory remarks” allegedly made during the event, calling such behaviour “wholly unacceptable and against the values, discipline, dignity, and principles of the BJP.”

Those suspended include district general secretary Nisar Ahmad Bhat, district secretaries Khursheed Ahmad Sofi, Aabida Rafiq, Nisar Ahmad Hakeem, and Feroz Ahmad Hajam, constituency presidents Irshad Ahmad Malik and Waheed Ahmad Itoo and party workers Muhammad Maqbool Ganie and Sabrooza Akhter.

Notably, no action has been taken against senior leader Muhammad Yusuf Sofi, who was present during the rally when the controversial slogan was raised. The order also clarified that two individuals seen in a viral video—Alveer Ahmad Dar and Fancy Akhter—are not associated with the BJP’s Anantnag unit in any capacity.

The controversy erupted after a slogan shouted during the rally—“(“The honour of Fazi and Azi has vanished”)—was widely perceived as an affront to Kashmiri women. In Kashmiri cultural memory, Fazi and Azi are symbolic names representing the archetypal Kashmiri woman, invoked historically with affection and respect. Leaders of National Conference once used these names to defend Article 370, chanting “Fazihyund izzat, Azihyund izzat; 370, 370” to assert that the provision protected Kashmiri dignity, including women’s honour.

By reversing this revered slogan, the rally participants appeared to suggest that Kashmiri women’s honour had been compromised—a sentiment many in the Valley saw as crossing a cultural red line. The invocation of Fazi and Azi is not merely rhetorical, it evokes mothers, grandmothers, and the collective feminine identity of Kashmir. To claim their honour is lost was interpreted as implying moral degradation, a deeply sensitive and socially charged accusation in Kashmiri society.

As condemnation poured in from political parties, civil society groups, and social media users, the BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit issued a formal apology to Kashmiri women and others offended by the remarks. The party stressed that the slogan was raised by “some individuals” and does not reflect its ideology. BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur highlighted the party’s record on women’s empowerment, including the 33 per cent reservation for women, and reiterated that the organisation does not endorse defamatory or derogatory language.

Thakur emphasised that the BJP remains committed to political decorum, issue-based politics, and respect for women’s dignity. Reaffirming alignment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of women-led development, he said that respect for women is a core principle of the party’s governance agenda. The swift disciplinary action and public apology reflect the BJP’s attempt to contain the backlash and reassure Kashmiris that it does not condone rhetoric that demeans women or exploits their symbolic identity for political theatrics.