An AI-generated image posted by the official X handle of BJP Karnataka, showing Union Home Minister Amit Shah holding a cauliflower beside a milestone inscribed with “Naxalism Rest in Peace,” has triggered widespread outrage across India.
Critics say the image not only glorifies extrajudicial killings through its reference to Operation Kagar but also evokes chilling memories of the 1989 Bhagalpur massacre — infamously referred to as the “Cauliflower Massacre” — where the bodies of murdered Muslims were buried beneath cauliflower and cabbage saplings in Logain village.
The image is seen as a veiled and provocative reference to the Bhagalpur violence, one of the deadliest anti-Muslim pogroms in India’s history. Sparked by communal tensions fanned by the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, the massacre led to the deaths of over 1,070 people—93% of them Muslims. Among the most horrific incidents was the killing of 116 Muslims in Logain village, whose bodies were dumped into a mass grave and hidden beneath cauliflower fields to destroy evidence.
The Bhagalpur riots also devastated the Muslim-led silk industry in the region, leaving thousands displaced and economically ruined.
Outrage erupted across social media, with users accusing BJP Karnataka of making light of mass murder and using AI tools to provoke communal sentiments. Bengaluru-based lawyer Vinay K. Sreenivasa called the post “disgusting and anti-Indian,” tagging Bengaluru Police and accusing the party of promoting hate speech.
Lawyer Arya slammed the post as “a slap in the face to justice and humanity,” while CPIML Liberation leader Clifton D’Rozario condemned the celebration of extrajudicial killings, stating that it undermines constitutional morality.
Journalists Alishan Jafri and Oishani Bhattacharya also flagged the post for its deeply coded hate speech, highlighting how the cauliflower reference is a well-known dog whistle to those familiar with the horrors of Bhagalpur.
While the BJP Karnataka post does not directly name Bhagalpur or its victims, the strategic use of imagery—combining the celebration of alleged state violence with a symbol linked to a communal massacre—has been widely seen as a deliberate attempt to normalize anti-Muslim rhetoric.
Analysts argue that such digital propaganda, particularly when amplified through AI-generated visuals, serves to evade legal scrutiny while provoking and traumatizing minority communities. Calls have grown louder for stricter controls on political content and hate speech online.
The controversial image also references Operation Kagar, an anti-Naxal offensive recently hailed by the government. While the milestone bearing “Naxalism Rest in Peace” suggests state victory, left parties including CPI, CPI(M), and CPIML Liberation have sharply criticized the operation, branding it “cold-blooded” and “inhumane.”
The merging of this narrative with Bhagalpur’s haunting imagery has only intensified accusations of insensitivity and sectarian messaging.
As outrage spreads, civil society groups, rights activists, and opposition voices are calling for immediate legal action against BJP Karnataka’s social media team and more robust mechanisms to curb hate content online.
