Rising anti-Muslim fury in Rajasthan: Haj pilgrims attacked, Hindutva outfits urge women to use firearms

Since the last few months, hundreds of right-wing Hindu activists, Hindu leaders, and Hindu monks have been delivering incendiary and provocative hate speeches, encouraging anti-Muslim sentiments amongst the Hindus in Rajasthan. Rallies, Hindu Dharam Sabhas, trishul distribution events, etc. are being held regularly in the state. A set pattern would be followed at such hate events, starting with the administration of oaths, that the Hindus would turn India, constitutionally a secular republic, into a Hindu nation, even if doing so required dying and killing. The next step would be to provoke the patriot Hindu men to protect their mother cow, daughters and religion by killing Muslims. Open calls for taking up of arms would be made, justified in the name of protecting one’s country. And now, the consequences of these most blatant and alarming call for violence in recent years can be seen in Rajasthan, a state that goes into poll by the end of this year.

According to media reports, on May 24, miscreants under the influence of alcohol attacked a bus carrying Haj pilgrims from Kota to Jaipur with stones. The unexpected incident caused panic among Haj pilgrims. Following the stone-throwing, many people vandalized the bus and assaulted the passengers. In this case, the police acted quickly and arrested six suspects. Reportedly, a case has been filed under the serious sections against the miscreants at Kunhari police station on behalf of the roadways bus driver.

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Eyewitnesses said that when the miscreants saw the bus full of Haj pilgrims, the miscreants stopped the bus. Soon after, a roadways bus coming from behind was also stopped by the miscreants and stones were hurled at it. “After interrogating the arrested miscreants and conducting research, it was revealed that the bus driver had overtaken the motorcycle of accused Rahul alias Kalu Saini and Rohit Saini. Due to this, the miscreants stopped the bus and started assaulting the Haj pilgrims while vandalising it,” the police stated, as provided by LiveHindustan.com. The police further asserted that the miscreants were drunk. It was further provided that the miscreants will be presented in the court on Friday amidst tight security.

As per the report of LiveHindustan.com, family members of the pilgrims stated that the bus had left the cantonment for Jaipur. During this time, family members had garlanded the Haj pilgrims and sent them messages of good luck for their journey. When the family members arrived home, the Haj pilgrims on the bus called and informed them of the incident. Following that, family members arrived and expressed their displeasure, causing a commotion.

It is shameful that even as we celebrate 75th year of Independence, such incidents are happening in a country that calls itself secular. Right-wing Hindu nationalists have preached violence online for years, but the violence has now spilled onto the streets. And even as violence grips the state of Rajasthan, in Jodhpur, far-right Hindutva extremist outfits Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Durga Vahini have organized a seven-day training camp where Hindu girls are trained in firearms.

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The Hindu Right is once against rigorously readying its own women’s groups, creating an ideology of female aggression and violence. While the said act of putting weapons in the arms of Hindu women is being deemed as preparing them for “self-defence”, it is essential to keep in mind that the female Samiti members had participated in the violence at Ayodhya, Malegaon blasts in Maharashtra and Gujarat riots too, and do not shy away from sharing the obsession of men of the Hindu right regarding the killing of Muslims.

It is evident from the incidents highlighted in the said report, and the current environment of our country, that an army of brainwashed individuals is being created by these extremist fringe outfits, whose only agenda is to attack and torture the Muslim community of India. From the top level bureaucrats to common men and women, a hard divisive ideology is being promoted.

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