The parody page Humans of Hindutva (HoH) shut down on Thursday, after alleged death threats against the administrator and his family. However, the page was re-activated, ostensibly for a brief period on Friday, the administrator claiming that he wanted to make a point. No, the page was not shut down by Facebook for violating standards, but was voluntarily taken down. "Stop being so desperate yaar. I'm deleting the page. Aren't you content with that? Must you peddle lies even now? Facebook didn't delete my page due to hate speech. I am going to leave this here for some time," HoH wrote.
Screenshot of a Humans of Hindutva post
The page, which was inspired by Brandon Stanton's 'Humans of New York', was one of the most stinging, anti-right wing parody pages on Facebook. It fought back against the venom of the fringe groups in kind, hitting back with hilarious sobriquets like 'Bhaktimaan'. The humour was subtle, often in the form of a spoof, under the garb of a rabid right winger. The rants stung.
Screenshot of a Humans of Hindutva post
In September, the page was first deactivated after the administrator claimed that he was tired of arguing over the internet. “It was a good run but ultimately I realised that you guys are not worth a bullet in my head. I'm tired of arguing with people for the last 5 months. I have worked hard over this period and have written over 80,000 words of original 'content' in this short span,” HoH wrote in a post.
On Thursday, HoH said that he was receiving death threats and that he had no intention of ending up the next Afrazul or Gauri Lankesh. However, many right wing groups countered, arguing that the page was actually taken off the internet by Facebook.
"I have no desire to end up like Gauri Lankesh or Afrazul Khan. Actually, more than myself I worry for the safety of my family. I hope those who threatened me consider this as a victory and leave us alone. I have deleted the HOH page and will delete this website soon. Congratulations to Hindutva on winning this David vs. Goliath fight," HoH wrote.
"I have recently received some threats to my life which I can’t take lightly. I am outnumbered, live in a BJP state and come from a middle-class family with no political or police connections. As for those who were kind enough to lend me their ears for the last eight months, I’d like to wish you all a Happy New Year. Cheers and alvida. Thanks for giving me some of your time."