By Girish Kumar Dubey
People in northern India's Uttar Pradesh state protested against an Australian radio station on Tuesday (August 02) where a popular radio host reportedly termed river Ganga as 'junkyard' and India a 'shit hole'.
Members of the local organisation called Vishal Bharat Sansthan of the state's Varanasi city protested against the remarks of the radio show.
In a recent episode of the "Kyle and Jackie O Show" at "2dayFM 104.1", which was aired in Australia's Sydney city, host Kyle Sandilands reportedly made these derogatory remarks, ridiculing Ganga and India.
"Our culture has relations with the Ganga. How can they not hurt our feelings when they call our Ganga as an impure river? All the students who go to Australia from here face violence as they are beaten up. So today the members of the Vishal Bharat Sansthan have burned an effigy of Australia keeping the Indian sentiments in mind," said Puja Bharat Vanshi, one of the protestors.
The members of the organisation led groups of young children in the protest march, most of whom were local rag picking children.
The protestors were demanding that the radio show hosts should formally apologise to the Indian people.
"The people of Australia have called Ganga as a junkyard. We will keep on burning their effigies and continue our protests until they apologise," said Tazim Ahmed, one of the protesting children.
Ganga is considered one of the holiest rivers in the Hindu religion and it is believed that a bath in the river purifies a person of one's sins.
The remarks of the radio show hosts have evoked strong reactions from Indians staying in Australia and many more in India.
The attacks on Indian students had been a matter of serious concern in past diplomatic talks between India and Australia and now this controversy has added a new row to the scenario.
People in northern India's Uttar Pradesh state protest against an Australian radio station where a popular radio host reportedly termed river Ganga as 'junkyard' and India a 'shit hole'.
PLEASE NOTE THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIALS
VARANASI, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA (AUGUST 02, 2011) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC)
1. A GROUP OF CHILDREN PROTESTING WITH BANNERS AND PLACARDS
2. A YOUNG GIRL WITH A PLACARD READING 'AUSTRALIA MURDABAD'
3. PROTESTORS HOLDING AN EFFIGY TITLED 'BAD AUSTRALIA'
4. A GROUP OF CHILDREN PROTESTING
5. CHILDREN STANDING WITH PLACARDS
6. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) PUJA BHARAT VANSHI, A MEMBER OF VISHAL BHARAT SANSTHAN, AN ORGANIZATION, SAYING:
"Our culture has relations with the Ganga. How can they not hurt our feelings when they call our Ganga as an impure river? All the students who go to Australia from here face violence as they are beaten up. So today the members of the Vishal Bharat Sansthan have burned an effigy of Australia keeping the Indian sentiments in mind."
7. PROTESTORS SETTING FIRE TO THE EFFIGY
8. EFFIGY BURNING
9. PROTESTORS SLOGANEERING BEFORE THE BURNING EFFIGY
10. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) TAZIM AHMED, A CHILD PROTESTOR, SAYING:
"The people of Australia have called Ganga as a junkyard. We will keep on burning their effigies and continue our protests until they apologise."
FILE (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC)
11. PEOPLE OFFERING RITUAL PRAYERS ON THE BANKS OF THE GANGA RIVER
12. A GROUP OF WOMEN PRAYING IN THE GANGA
13. A MAN PRAYING IN THE RIVER WATER
14. RIVER GANGA FLOWING
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