Ignoring previous agreements between Hindu and Muslim residents for the procession to avoid passing through a local mosque, they headed for it. “A Hindu mob broke beer bottles inside the mosque, put saffron flags there and shouted Jai Shri Ram [Hail Lord Ram]Said Tabreez Khan, 39, a witness. “A guard at the mosque started resisting them, leading to an argument. “Only after they started desecrating the mosque did the Muslims get angry and start clashes and stones were thrown.” It was an account verified by both Muslim and Hindu witnesses. Rinku Sarma, a Hindu who took part in the procession, said the clashes started “when we entered the mosque area”. “Most of the people living in this area are Muslims,” said Mohamad Fazal, 35. “This was not a religious gathering but an attack on us. [Muslims]. » Six police officers were injured in the violence and more than 20 people were arrested, most of them Muslims. But among those arrested was the local branch leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), a notorious right-wing organization. “There was no incitement, it seemed that the attack was designed to create tension in the community,” Khan added. Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Astana said people from “both communities” were being investigated. “Action will be taken against any person found guilty, regardless of their class, religion, community or religion,” he said. Saffron flags stand outside a mosque a day after community clashes in Jahangirpuri, Delhi. Photo: Rishi Lekhi / AP The events in Jahangirpuri were by no means isolated. Nearly 140 people were arrested over the weekend in connection with incidents of community violence and riots between Hindus and Muslims in the states of Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka during celebrations for Hanuman Jayanti. It was a similar story in recent weeks. Celebrations of the Ram Navami Hindu festival in seven states, including Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand and West Bengal, have tarnished community violence, especially against Muslims celebrating Ramadan. Clashes left one person dead, setting dozens of Muslim homes and shops on fire or burning, shouting provocative slogans outside many mosques and attempting to place crocus flags inside Muslim places of worship. The rise of community violence has caused concern in many in India who fear the country is becoming more polarized than ever along Hindu-Muslim lines. For many, the blame has shifted to the ruling Hindu nationalist party Bharatiya Janata, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP is accused of overseeing a religiously divisive agenda and encouraging hostility towards India’s 200 million Muslims, relegating them to second-class citizens. Meanwhile, Hindu vigilante groups such as the VHP have been allowed to operate freely and have increasingly begun to take matters into their own hands. A supporter wears a Narendra Modi mask during a roadshow in support of state elections in Allahabad, India. Photo: Ritesh Shukla / Getty Images In the southern state of Telangana, a BJP lawmaker, T Raja Singh, was among those detained for provocative slogans during a march. “There is a strong assumption that we are going through the most difficult phase for Muslims in independent India,” Asim Ali, a political researcher at the Center for Policy Research, told the Telegraph, an Indian newspaper. “Being in the crosshairs of the country’s ruling party is a bad place for a community, and the Hindu nationalist attitude towards Muslims seems to be becoming more hostile over time.” The wave of violence in recent weeks, Ali added, was proof that “this anti-Muslim mobilization επίσης has also gained momentum.” In Muzaffarpur, a district of Bihar, Muslims claimed that a saffron flag was raised at the entrance of a mosque during one of the processions. The video shows the crowd cheering and waving hockey swords and sticks as the flag was raised. But it was in Khargone, a district of Madhya Pradesh, that some of the worst clashes took place. The violence began when a Ram Navami parade of about 5,000 worshipers passed by a mosque. A confrontation reportedly broke out between Hindus and Muslims after they started shouting incendiary Hindu nationalist slogans and threats from hardline Hindus and throwing stones in retaliation. Local Muslims say their homes have been vandalized and about 10 set on fire. “I was at home with my family preparing to break our Ramadan fast when a large mob started attacking our house,” said Farouk Khan, 23. “They were shouting [kill the Muslims]. » Khan said he had to beg the swordsman, who entered his house and began looting, to let him and his family flee. About 24 people, including a police officer, were injured in the violence. Muslims in Hargone have accused police of refusing to file charges against Hindus involved in the violence and instead arresting mainly Muslims. There was also outcry when local authorities bulldozed at least 16 houses and 29 shops belonging to Muslims accused of throwing stones at the procession. Nawab Khan, a Muslim whose house was also set on fire, said he had been beaten by police when he tried to report to the station, pointing to the back injuries he said were caused by police. “Our property was burned, we were attacked and we are the ones being accused and punished,” he said. Supt Shalendra Singh denied that Muslims had been the main target and said police were taking appropriate action against all communities involved. Indian security personnel hold Jawaharlal Nehru University students as they protest the hijab ban in February. Photo: Raja T Gupta / EPA Clashes also broke out in early April in Rajasthan’s Karauli province as a Hindu procession passed through a Muslim area and about 70 predominantly Muslim shops were set on fire. Violence this month even reached one of India’s top universities, Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, as right-wing Hindu activists opposed to cooking non-vegetarian food in a dormitory. Over the weekend, leaders of 13 opposition parties condemned Monti for remaining silent on the escalation of community violence. “We are shocked by the silence of the prime minister, who has failed to speak out against the words and actions of those who propagate fanaticism and those who, through their words and actions, incite and provoke our society,” they said in a statement. Monti’s minority minister, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, has called the events of recent weeks “marginal elements, which … try to discredit India’s inclusive culture and commitment”. People protest in Delhi against hate speech after a religious gathering of Hindu holy figures in Uttarakhand. Photo: Mayank Makhija / NurPhoto / REX / Shutterstock Activists and academics have highlighted the increasingly violent rhetoric against Muslims in India’s mainstream, highlighting community tensions at dangerous levels. In December 2021, a religious assembly of Hindu shrines was held in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar, during which speakers called for genocide against Muslims. Last week, police arrested Bajrang Muni Das, a Hindu priest accused of threatening to rape Muslim women during a speech two weeks ago in the presence of officers. The attacks also come after the passage of state legislation accused of discriminating against Muslims, including a ban on hijab in BJP-run Karnataka schools. Writing in the Indian Express over the weekend, the leader of the opposition Congress party, Sonia Gandhi, said: “A revelation of hatred, intolerance, intolerance and untruth is flooding our country today. We as a people can not stand by and watch pluralism is sacrificed on the altar of false nationalism. “
