“An action day will come because it was written in their holy book (referring to the Quran)....the Muslims want everyone to convert to their religion, or they will attack you (referring to Keralites)...If you feel unsafe, go to a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Shakha…” said a man, in Malayalam, on a Spaces discussion on social media platform X. In the same session, another speaker urged Hindus from Kerala to post about the “threats” they faced from Muslims in the state.

The message was clear– to establish that the Hindus in Kerala are under threat from Muslims. 

X Spaces is a forum that enables audio chats, where speakers can join in and listen, as well as voice their opinions on the topics discussed. TNM was alerted to religiously polarising X Spaces discussions on June 6, earlier this year, by one of our readers, who was concerned about the deeply communal and violent nature of the conversations. 

We listened in on several of them for a week, both live and recorded ones, leading us to the realisation that this is not just a parallel world of conversations, but a pipeline for hateful mobilisation with far-reaching impact. 

Some discussions, we found, were even picked up by several right-leaning news outlets, legitimising and blowing them out of proportion.

The discussions, which typically start around 11.30 pm and extend up to 1.30 am, are mostly conducted four or five times a week. Most participants use anonymous accounts, supposedly to make identity tracking difficult. These speakers appear to be Hindu Keralites, living and working outside India, predominantly in Islamic countries, including the Gulf.

In most of the discussions, regardless of the topic, anti-Muslim sentiments were a dominant theme. Speakers use stereotypical, derogatory colloquial terms like “koya”, “sudu”, “muriyan”, and so on to refer to Muslims. 

The handles of the active spears–both with fake credentials and otherwise–have thousands of followers, most of them linked to the Sangh in one way or another.

‘Yes, I am a communalist’

“We are preparing those who are unaware of the dangers posed by ‘these’ individuals. What if they enter our families tomorrow?” asked Rajesh Krishnan on one of the X Spaces sessions. Rajesh is the General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kerala’s Alathur constituency. He actively hosts, speaks and participates in such discussions.