Swati Goel Sharma Profile picture
Journalist. Activist. Leading @AgniSamaj, @sewanyaya. Founder @GemsofBollywood. Ex-@httweets, @timesofindia. Contact: swati@agnisamaj.com
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Mar 23 7 tweets 5 min read
Akram and Saud slaughtered a cow and threw its head on road at night. Local Hindus were obviously incensed

But unlike Nagpur, no mob violence, no attack on homes and vehicles, no arson. Instead, Hindus enforced social boycott of accused families

What I found in ground visit🧵 Image In January, at Mathania market chowk in Jodhpur, carcass of a calf was found early morning. Hindus in the area gathered and staged a protest

FIR 4/25 was filed at Mathania police station same day. CCTV footage revealed the killers as 20-year-old Saud (son of Yunus) and 28-year-old Akram (son of Abdul Lateef), both locals of nearby Tinwari area

They were arrested under Rajasthan’s anti-cow slaughter law. Police released a press note the next dayImage
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Mar 21 4 tweets 3 min read
The woman I am standing with is one of the bravest I know.

Chanchal Chaudhary relentlessly pursued the case of her missing friend Priya - until it was revealed that Priya’s boyfriend Mohd Shamshad had killed her and buried her body inside his house.

This case became instrumental in Yogi govt bringing anti-conversion law criminalising marriage by hiding identity in Nov 2020. CM Yogi Adityanath cited this case in multiple interviews regarding the law.

Priya lived as a tenant in Chanchal’s house. She had separated from her husband and was living with her 13-year-old daughter Kashish.

Priya began an affair with a man she met on Facebook - who introduced himself as ‘Amit Gujjar.’ He later turned out to be Mohd Shamshad, a married man. Chanchal didn’t approve of the relationship but Priya was adamant on marrying Shamshad.

When Priya and Kashish went missing during the first lockdown in March 2020, only Chanchal looked for them. She filed multiple police complaints, followed up relentlessly, and didn’t let the case die.

In July, the truth came out- both mother and daughter were murdered and buried inside Shamshad’s bedroom.

Chanchal is complainant in the case. That means endless trips to court, paying lawyers, and facing security threats. But she has braved it all.

When I met Chanchal, I told her - you are like my younger sister. If you ever need help, don’t hesitate.

Last week, she reached out. In tears. Her father is hospitalised with a heart condition. Chanchal, being the only child, spent all her meagre savings in just three days of treatment. She shared how the pending court case has affected her chances of getting a job all along.

We at @sewanyaya are now bearing the cost of her father’s treatment.

God gave us an opportunity to stand by this brave girl and we won’t let her walk alone.Image
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To support:
Mar 13 5 tweets 3 min read
Thrilled to share this news from IIT Delhi ✊

From Sambhal, a team of primary class kids from govt schools competed against 35 college BTech teams in Robotics at the prestigious IIT Delhi yesterday and won the top 4 position!

Made entirely possible through training by @sewanyaya

Read on!Image
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At a robotics competition organised as part of IIT Delhi’s annual techfest TRYST-2025, this team of kids from Sambhal were youngest participants in the contest

While they are from Class 5 and 7, they competed against teams from engineering colleges. Secured an incredible 4th place finish. They had to perform blindfolded.

A remarkable win for govt school students from one of UP’s most backward districtsImage
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Mar 8 6 tweets 4 min read
I am in Jodhpur and what I see truly breaks my heart

These families - Hindus from Pakistan - arrived in Bharat two weeks ago. They have no money, no food, no work, and now they are being evicted from this patch of land, saying it’s disputed, with no alternative given

As you can see, even this land is sandy, unlivable with no water source. Refugees are literally sleeping on sand

Read onImage
A police vehicle is stationed to prevent them from bringing wooden logs to set up temporary shelters. Police say the land is disputed between Jodhpur development authority and a resident named Atiq Ahmed

See the footage
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Mar 5 8 tweets 4 min read
This ordinary yellow house, located in a migrant labour colony, has been a conversion factory for 10 years

Luring Hindus through exorcism, promising ‘treatment’ through miracles. Even kids in the area know it as a house where “bhoot-pret” are removed

A ground report 🧵 Image It’s Shankar Nagar, Partapur area, Meerut.

A family - Vineet, Johny, Payal, Sangita, and Gita - turned their house into a ‘masihi prarthana ghar’. For 10 years, Hindus were lured with promises of ‘miracle healing,’ told that Masih’s divine power could even raise the dead

Locals were told illnesses were caused by ‘dusht aatma’ (evil spirits) and could only be cured through Masih who is parmeshwar. Regular attendees were required to bring at least 2-3 new families. Marriage alliances with converted families were facilitatedImage
Mar 4 6 tweets 3 min read
A long but very important day

After we sought Human Rights Commission intervention, NHRC member Priyank Kanoongo today addressed Dalit families in Meerut about a critical issue - converting out of Hindu, Buddhist or Sikh fold means losing SC benefits. I was there

A thread 🧵: Image Why this colony? Because a major illegal conversion racket was busted in this Shankar Nagar colony in Partapur area

A house was converted into an unauthorised religious centre where Hindus families were lured into conversion through miracle healings and exorcism. They were told illnesses were due to “evil spirits” and only praying to Masih could cure them

Vineet pastor, Johny pastor, Geeta, Payal and Sangita were booked, but some are out on bail

Watch this video of police raid:
Mar 2 10 tweets 6 min read
How did 3 houses in a row in an upmarket all-Hindu residential colony quietly turned into a religious centre, gathering hundreds of Hindus every Sunday for conversion, without anyone raising voice for 7 years?

I visited the colony in Lucknow today to find out. A thread 🧵 Image Exactly three weeks ago, on 9 Feb, a Yeshu Prarthana Sabha with 200+ Hindus in attendance was raided in Bharwara Estate Colony, Gomti Nagar Extension.

Hindu activists, acting on a tip-off from a resident, reached the spot at 10 am. Police were called.

What they found: An unofficial ‘church’ operating inside three converted houses, built over a seven-year period.

Here are videos and pictures of protest that day. Children can also be seen coming out of the Sabha after raid
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Feb 22 7 tweets 3 min read
Glad to share the news that in a disturbing case of forced conversion and circumcision of a 3-year-old Jain boy, accused Iliyas Qureshi and Mohd Zafar Ali have been sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment

A thread on what this case was all about 🧵 -Mahesh Nahata, a native of Barmer, Rajasthan, married Prarthana from Shajapur, Madhya Pradesh, in 2014

-In 2015, they had a son, whom they lovingly named Manan (picture attached)

-But Prarthana eloped with her former lover from her school days, Iliyas Qureshi, taking three-year-old Manan along.Image
Dec 16, 2024 10 tweets 5 min read
This week, I visited a colony in Ghaziabad where a conversion racket was being run in an all-Hindu area by a teacher from a local well-known missionary school with help of a government employee

Here’s what I found 🧵 Image The colony, Sewa Nagar, is home to 2,000 people from castes like Pal (gadaria), Valmiki, Jatav and Brahmin

There is a house called ‘Om Niwas’ owned by late Jagpal Singh Jatav. On ground floor lives his younger son Akash while on first floor lives his elder son Ravi

Ravi, a govt employee, converted to Christianity 2 years agoImage
Dec 9, 2024 7 tweets 3 min read
Another mass conversion racket busted in Meerut, West UP

If you recall, I reported on a similar incident from Meerut recently, followed by a yajna to bring families back to Sanatana fold

Latest one had been allegedly operational for 10 years

A thread on what was uncovered🧵 Image Raid took place in Shankar Colony, Partapur area

On receiving a tip-off, activists and police entered a home and found its second floor converted into a fully functional church called ‘Masihi Prarthana Church’

Over 50 men and women were attending a Bible-reading session
Dec 6, 2024 6 tweets 3 min read
Exactly 32 years ago, on 6 Dec 1992, a dhancha built during Babur’s invasion over a site widely believed to be Shri Ram’s birthplace was brought down with bare hands by thousands of karsevaks in Ayodhya

What really unfolded that day as seen through a core karsevak’s eyes? A 🧵 Image That day, karsevaks dismantled the dhancha (structure) using their hands and simple tools. In Ayodhya, locals and Sangh members dislike calling it ‘Babri’ or ‘mosque’ and refer to it simply as dhancha

Once the structure fell, chaos ensued. Some even lost their lives. Many were injured

By next morning, karsevaks started clearing the debris

A message was sent out to treat every rock and brick as prasad. Some broke bricks to share, others took mud. Within two hours, the site was cleared

By evening, the site was leveled. Then, a temporary temple was built with a cement platform, bamboo sticks and cloth. Ram Lalla was enshrined there

And it is at this very spot where he sits even today
Dec 1, 2024 12 tweets 3 min read
14 Hindus were burnt alive in a mill very near to Sambhal’s disputed mosque in 1978

Rumours of a Hindu killing an imam and a sadhu performing puja there triggered this massacre

I spoke to the family of the mill owner, who was also killed

A thread on this forgotten tragedy 🧵 Image The mill, an ahaata spread over 4 beegha in Nakhasa Bazaar, belonged to Banwari Lal Goel, an affluent, well-respected man in Sambhal

He was known for his fairness and even Muslim families sought his help to resolve disputes, locals recall. He was also Sambhal president of VHP Image
Nov 30, 2024 8 tweets 5 min read
Those wondering if Hindus of #Sambhal have made no efforts to sustain their claim on the disputed mosque site which they have always known as Shri Hari Har Mandir, well they did

But it stopped after a 1978 pogrom, where 23 of 25 officially recorded dead were Hindus

A thread 🧵 Image 1. Sambhal has witnessed recurring communal violence, major ones being 1935, 1947 partition, and the horrific 1978 pogrom

In 1978, Hindus in Moradabad district made up less than 30%. The violence that year began on 29 March 1978 when Vinod Pramod, a Hindu paan shop owner, defied a Muslim League leader’s bandh call

That leader was Mohd Manzar Shafi and had recently got bail in a communal violence case two years earlier where one Muslim and three Hindus were allegedly killed

Shafi’s men unleashed violence. Academic accounts describe Sambhal as turning into a “virtual crematorium”Image
Nov 27, 2024 10 tweets 5 min read
Yesterday I visited Sambhal, where heavy stone-pelting erupted on Sunday during a court-ordered survey of a disputed mosque structure

To my surprise, every Hindu local - minorities in Sambhal - referred to the property as ‘Shri Hari Har Temple’

Here is what I found. A thread 🧵 Image First, a bit about the area

The mosque, known as Shahi Jama Masjid Sambhal, is located in Kot area of Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh. Hindus and Muslims refer to their respective colonies as Kot Purvi (East) and Kot Gharbhi (Gharab is West in Arabic).

The street outside the mosque’s front gate (seen in video) is largely Hindu-populated and leads to a police chowki. Locals jokingly call this street - Post office road - as India-Pakistan border

2011 census put Hindu population in Sambhal at 22%. In Kot, Hindus said they are no more than 10%
Nov 11, 2024 10 tweets 3 min read
Yesterday, I visited Meerut’s Ambedkar Colony, where 30+ families have converted to Christianity

They attended Sunday prayer services at a pastor’s house till his arrest

We organized a Yajna-havan there. Deepest gratitude to those whose support made it possible

A thread 🧵 Image
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This largely Jatav community has seen rapid conversions over the past 8-9 years, mostly through dubious "medical healing" promises when healthcare costs became overwhelming

As missionaries face global backlash, they prey on the vulnerable in India
Nov 9, 2024 8 tweets 5 min read
How did a conversion racket find its way in a posh colony full of retired police and army personnel in west Uttar Pradesh?

A couple of weeks ago, a conversion racket was busted in Vikas Enclave, a colony in Meerut, western UP

Here’s what I found on the ground 🧵 Image
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Vikas Enclave, located on Rohta Road in Meerut, is home to retired police and army personnel

For three months, residents were observing an unusual gathering at the first floor of a three-storey house on the corner of the colony

Every Sunday, 30-40 people would arrive around 10 am, staying for about two hours. House owner would tell the neighbours it was ‘satsang’

Picture of the corner house:Image
Jan 21, 2024 10 tweets 4 min read
Since I am among the privileged ones to receive an invite for #RamMandirPranPrathistha, let me live tweet my experience 😀

I had booked two flights from Delhi to Lucknow for today. Good decision as the other one got cancelled. One flight finally taking off after delay of 2 hours Scenes at Lucknow airport


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Jan 20, 2024 10 tweets 4 min read
With only a day left for #RamJanmbhoomiMandir opening, you may like to read my series of ground reports from Ayodhya about the temple struggle since 1850s

I spent a good two weeks in Ayodhya to understand the movement

Below is a thread of all my reports with context 👇 Image Who are Bairagis, what is Ramkot, and what role Bairagis and Ayodhya’s most visited temple Hanuman Garhi played in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri conflict in 1850

swarajyamag.com/reports/hanuma…
Jun 12, 2023 9 tweets 6 min read
We all know that after demolishing the colony of poor #PakistaniHindu refugees, Jaisalmer administration in Rajasthan gave them 40 bigha land to resettle amid much chest-thumping

But do we know the ground reality?

Our @sewanyaya team visited the spot two days ago. A thread: Tha land is uneven, full of pits and ditches. There is no road, no water, no resources to build houses.

Land is such they cannot build a shelter using bamboo and tarpaulin as they do in other places

Majju Ram says discarded like a burden by admin

Do watch both the video’s twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
May 17, 2023 4 tweets 3 min read
You see these kids dancing on Radhe Radhe? They are Hindu migrants from Pakistan living in Jodhpur; their families awaiting Indian citizenship

Living in slums where water is scarce, their houses and water tanks were demolished by govt. When @sewanyaya team visited this week + They said they don’t play or dance or sing for fear of getting thirsty. It was heartbreaking

We gifted nine 1000-litre four-later water tanks that should suffice for a camp. We also organised a party where kids danced and played and had sharbat to their hearts’ content ❤️ twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Feb 6, 2023 4 tweets 1 min read
Gujarat court has given a verdict that Hindu daughters of a woman, who remarried and had conversion-nikah, have no claim on their mother’s property

A thread on the case:

Ranjan Tripathi had three daughters from her husband, who was a govt employee. After his untimely death + she got a govt job on compassionate grounds. Tripathi remarried, leaving her daughters with her in-laws. She had conversion-nikah with a Muslim man. Daughters filed a case in court to assert their rights on mother’s savings