Arundhati Roy has faced sharp criticism for claiming that India has “perpetually waged war” on its own citizens, and that Pakistan never deployed army against its own people.
Author Arundhati Roy has come under fire for her remarks claiming that the Indian state has “perpetually waged war” on its own citizens since independence, specifically in Kashmir, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Telangana, Punjab, Kashmir, Goa, and Hyderabad.
In a video shared by writer Anand Ranganathan, Roy could be heard saying that Pakistan has not deployed its army against its own people in the way the democratic Indian state has, and opined that the upper caste Hindu state was perpetually at war.
Sharing the video, Anand Raghunathan, on X wrote, “When irresistible weed meets immovable hallucination.”
“According to Arundhati Roy, the 1961 liberation of Goa by India was in reality an Upper-caste Hindu State waging a war against Christians,” he added.
When irresistible weed meets immovable hallucination.
According to Arundhati Roy, the 1961 liberation of Goa by India was in reality an Upper-caste Hindu State waging a war against Christians. pic.twitter.com/YXLqaxgskD
— Anand Ranganathan (@ARanganathan72) September 15, 2025
KANWAL SIBAL CALLS OUT ARUNDHATI ROY
Later, former Indian Foreign Secretary and current JNU Chancellor Kanwal Sibal reshared Anand Raghunathan’s post and slammed Roy’s statements, calling her “venomous against her own country” and “deeply anti-Hindu”.
He accused her of supporting terrorism against the Indian state and alleged she “blatantly distorts the truth to support her deeply communal and anarchist agenda”.
Sibal challenged Roy’s Pakistan analogy, highlighting several military operations in Pakistan against its own people:
- Operation Zarb-e-Azb (2014) in North Waziristan
- Operation Rahat-e-Nijat (2009) in South Waziristan
- Musharraf’s 2006 operations against Baloch insurgents, including artillery use against Nawab Akbar Bugti
- Operation Azm-e-Istehkam (2024), ongoing counter-insurgency operations
Arundhati Roy’s remarks sparked a wave of criticism by other social media users as well, with many accusing her of misrepresenting history and even opining that her citizenship must be revoked.
“Her hypocrisy is crystal clear. While she spews venom against India, distorts facts, and paints Hindus as villains, she shamelessly whitewashes Pakistan’s bloody history. To claim that Pakistan hasn’t used its military against its own people is laughable. The record is public,” a comment on Kanwal Sibal’s post read.