A Muslim youth, Sheikh Firoz was allegedly beaten to death on suspicion of theft in Chhaigoan Devi village, which falls under the jurisdiction of Chhaigoan Makhan police station in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. Firoz, the victim, was discovered unconscious in a drainage channel on Sunday morning and was rushed to the district hospital, where he passed away during treatment. Firoz was from Khanshawali, Khandwa. It is pertinent to be noted that last year, anti-Muslim violence struck Khandwa and its surrounding areas, and recent incidents of hate crimes against Muslims had been reported in the region.

Anil Singh, DSP Headquarters, confirmed that the victim suffered multiple stab wounds and bruises all over his body, as reported by Maktoob Media.

According to the police, Firoz had several theft cases filed against him in various police stations, and was also associated with the accused, which is being cited as a possible motive for the attack, as provided by Maktoob Media. The police have begun an investigation into the incident.

Furthermore, according to Bhaskar.com, Firoz was caught stealing chickpeas and was brutally attacked by eight to ten residents. According to the report, the residents were already on high alert due to an increase in thefts in the area. Residents observed three suspicious individuals enter the village around midnight, two of whom managed to flee and one was apprehended and lynched.

According to one of Firoz’s relatives, the lynching was carried out by Chatter Patel, the former panchayat president of Surgaon Village in Khandwa, and his followers, as provided by Maktoob Media. The relative of the deceased also alleged that when they discovered Firoz was Muslim, they beat him mercilessly until he passed out and then threw him in the drainage channel, as provided by the Observer Post. Firoz’s mother claims that Firoz was lynched by the locals. In order to seek justice for her son, she has refused to perform his final rites until the perpetrators are apprehended as per news reports. A postmortem examination has been ordered for the victim’s body.

A video shows members of the deceased’s family and community staging a protest by placing the corpse in front of the Moghat police station.

The video can be viewed here:

Muslim youth was beaten to death over suspicion of theft in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh.

Via – @TheObserverPost

Watch full video: https://t.co/T61StOU876 pic.twitter.com/oGU5nrmyzR

— Meer Faisal (@meerfaisal01) April 9, 2023

Another incident of hate crime against Muslims was also reported from Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh. In the said incident, two Muslim men, named Adnan and Afzal, were attacked by assailants, who threw chili powder in their eyes and tried to stab them. According to the information provided by the victims in a video, the two men had gone to a petrol pump to get petrol in their vehicle. As they were leaving, a group of 4-5 men attacked them and threw chili powder in their eyes. As they heard the mob scream “Maaro Maaro (hit them)”, the Muslim men somehow started driving their vehicle, albeit having chili powder in their eyes.

The two men had approached the police afterwards. It is being alleged that the police have arrested 5 minors involved in this attack using the CCTV footage of the area.

The video can be viewed here:

Location: Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh

Two Muslim men were attacked by assailants, who threw chilli powder in their eyes & tried to stab them.

Police have arrested 5 minors involved in this attack. pic.twitter.com/WuIh2HO4lZ

— HindutvaWatch (@HindutvaWatchIn) April 10, 2023

Almost two months ago, a local Imam named Hafiz Huzefa, who was on his way to the mosque, had been attacked by 3 men in a similar manner. As he was on his way riding a bike, the group had thrown chili powder in his eyes and stabbed him in chest. As per the information provided, while running away, the same men also allegedly stabbed another Muslim youth in the chest.

Related:

MP: A group of 4-5 men stabbed an Imam while he was on his bike

Hindu Mahasabha Members Arrested for Allegedly Slaughtering Cow to Incite Communal Violence in Agra During Ram Navami Parade

Ram Navami processionists instigated violence in Rishra, Bengal police tell court

Under Guise of Religious Conversions, Attacks by Hindutva Groups Worsen Situation for Christians in India

Ram Navami violence by Aaj Tak calls into question the lopsided portrayal of communally sensitive news

Hindutva mobs in Bihar run amok, cause loss of Rs. 6 crores

The post Madhya Pradesh: Another Muslim youth lynched on suspicion of stealing, victim suffered multiple stab wounds and bruises all over his body appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The Tripura High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the various reports of anti-minority violence in the state, and has asked the government to file its response by November 10.

The court took note of the violence reported in various newspapers on October 26 in the districts of North Tripura, Unakoti as well as Sipahijala. The order read, “We direct the respondents [government] to file further affidavits before this Court on or before 10th November, 2021 specifically dealing with preventive measures they had taken or what is their plan of scuttling the design of stoking communal passion or to perpetrate in the violence.”

The Bench of Chief Justice Indrajit Mahanty and Justice S. Talapatra appreciated the steps taken by various political parties to restore peace and order within the state. It said, “These steps, in our considered view, will go a long way in regaining the confidence of the citizens at large. However, these steps need to be further expanded.”

The court has suggested that the government may consider forming peace committees, not only at district levels, but also at sub-divisional levels, and if necessary, at panchayat levels as well. It further said, “We call upon all political parties to participate fully in such peace process so that confidence of the people of the state can be restored and the underlying strife that exists can be suitably dealt with.”

What has the government told the court?

The Advocate General, SS Dey provided a note to the court indicating some of the important steps taken by them to maintain communal harmony as well as action taken against the perpetrator of such violence.

The government, through its counsel, told the division bench that on October 26, as many as 3,500 people participated in a rally organised by right-wing group, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) against the vandalism of Durga Puja Pandals and Hindu Temples in Bangladesh. They have further stated that during the protest march, a clash took place between both communities which allegedly led to burning of 3 shops and damage to 3 houses belonging to the Muslim community.

Further, the government stated that two FIRs have been registered at the Panisagar Police Station and allegations have been made regarding damage to mosque, theft of property and outraging the modesty of women. There are also counter allegations by the right-wing groups that during their alleged peaceful protest march, they were abused, threatened and attacked.

The government has also claimed, “Both cases are counter cases. Investigation of both cases is in progress.”

The court was also informed that subsequently, large groups of Muslims assembled at various places in Unakoti and North Tripura District and only by active deployment and persuasion, the people were dispersed. They also told the division bench that many pictures and videos are doing the rounds on social media, and that the Police have registered an FIR to identify the “miscreant” responsible for spreading misinformation, that has the potential to disturb the communal harmony.

The government has said, “State Police has undertaken various steps including deployment of additional security personnel, guarding of religious places, peace meetings, additional vehicular mobiles etc to maintain peace. All necessary arrangements to maintain peace in the State are being made by the State Government.”

Observations and directions

After perusing the government note, the court indicated that the government’s sole concern is “protection of life, liberty and property of all citizens of Tripura.”

The court then recorded, “There can be no reiteration that the State owes its responsibilities insofar as maintenance of law and order as well as providing citizens with the security to protect their life, livelihood as well as their properties. Today’s local newspapers of Tripura indicate that an uneasy calm is prevalent and no repetition of the occurrences which took place on 26th October, 2021 has yet taken place. It is further informed that all necessary steps are being taken by the State to ensure that such occurrences are not repeated.”

While directing the state to file an affidavit stating the stages at which the investigation is going on and as to whether any accused has been apprehended, the court has also told the government to take immediate action.

As rare as it may seem, the court appreciated the media at large, in particular the print media who have taken up a very active positive role in trying to restore peace and order within the state. The court said, “We assert that the media shall remain vigilant at all times and continue discharging its duty in a responsible manner which it has already exhibited.”

Since the government claimed that there is false information doing the rounds, the court also directed the State to initiate appropriate action against all such social media platforms in order to ensure that false, fictitious and or fabricated news articles or visual footages are not published on social media platforms.

SabrangIndia’s sister publication, CJP, has also written to the National Minorities Commission to take cognisance of the attacks and conduct a thorough inquiry into the targeted violence against the Muslims.

The matter will now be heard on November 12.

The order may be read here:

Related:

Anti-Muslim violence flares in Tripura, CJP writes to Minorities Commission
Tripura: Right-wing mobs vandalise mosques in response to the attack on minority Hindus in Bangladesh
Delhi: Students, activists detained for protesting Tripura violence

The post Anti Muslim violence in Tripura, HC takes suo motu cognisance appeared first on SabrangIndia.

There are two kinds of Mahapanchayats, large gatherings of thousands of villagers, that have been convened recently. First are the massive gatherings, where thousands of farmers, men and women, have been coming together in villages across Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and other parts of India in solidarity with their kin, still protesting on Delhi’s borders against the three farm laws they deem draconian.

These Mahapanchayats are peaceful, and energising for the lakhs of farmers who come from farm and wide to listen to community leaders and pledge to work together in brotherhood, and to stand up against any oppressive policies forced upon them. 

These Mahapanchayats have also brought together the farmer communities across the traditional caste divides and religious lines. While the farm movement leaders such as Rakesh Tikait, has often been credited with mobilising these, he has acknowledged that it is the community that is the strength behind the movement. The community of farmers which has united across India and made the dissent against the three farm laws a national movement, making the world take notice, are also a political force. As they are community based, their leaders are revered as community elders, whose word is often seen as a command by the panchayat members. These may also play a deciding factor in the upcoming elections. Especially in Uttar Pradesh, which is likely to go to polls in February 2022. 

Farmers movement is being countered with hate speech?

The impact of these farmers’ Mahapachayats is evident as a counter movement is now being mobilised by right wing forces who are generating communal passions at their own meeting. Often called on caste lines, these offer stages from which known communal faces make hate speeches. The most recent has been a call for violence given by a young man better known as the ‘Jamia shooter’. 

On January 30, 2020, when he was 17 years old, the gun-wielding right-wing miscreant had opened fire on a group of protesters near Jamia Millia Islamia University (JMIU), who were protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and demanding on Martyrs Day, a return to Gandhian values of peace, inclusion and tolerance. Shockingly, the events unfolded in front of the police and security personnel deployed on the spot as well as in full view of media persons who had gathered to cover the students’ march to Rajghat, Mahatma Gandhi’s samadhi. The Jamia shooter reportedly said, “Kisko chahiye azadi, yeh lo azaadi,” (Who wants freedom? Here’s your freedom!) before he fired his gun. A man identified as Shadaab was injured in the firing and a video of the incident went viral on social media.

A year later, the now 18-year-old was a star attraction at Mahapanchayat in Pataudi, Haryana. He stood up and told the crowd of like-minded people to “abduct Muslim women”, and boasted that if he could go over a 100 km away and “into Jamia in support of CAA”, “Pataudi is not very far”. His warning was for those he called “jihadis”. He said, “Pataudi se kewal itni chetavani dena chaahta hoon, un… jihadiyon, aatankwadi mansikta ke logon ko, jab sau kilometre door Jamia ja sakta hoon CAA ke samarthan mein, toh Pataudi zyada door nahin hai.” (From Pataudi I want to warn Jihadis, those with a terrorist mindset, when (I) can go 100 kilometers away into Jamia in support of CAA, then Pataudi is not very far.) He chants “Jai Sri Ram” and the crowd echoes his mood. A new communal leader may just have been anointed.  

A video of his hate speech at the Mahapanchayat was then circulated on social media. The crowds can be heard cheering him as he hurls communal slurs and claims that when “Muslims are attacked, they too will chant ‘Ram Ram’”.

According to news reports, this Hindutva fueled Mahapanchayat, was called to “discuss religious conversion, ‘love jihad’, and a law to control population.” According to The Indian Express, in January he was apprehended from the spot, and an FIR was registered against him under IPC Section 307 (attempt to murder). “He was later sent to a correctional home by the juvenile justice board, from where he came out after some months. We haven’t received a formal complaint about the recent incident and are looking into the matter,” a senior police officer from the Crime Branch was quoted by IE. However, the report added that this time he has gotten away with the hate speech so far. Varun Singla, DCP (Manesar), was quoted by the media saying, “We have not received any complaints regarding any of the speeches at the Mahapanchayat, no FIR has been registered.” 

However, they did admit that they knew that the event was being organised and police personnel were deployed in the area. It is likely that the police present also heard the hate speeches and communal slurs being launched there.

BJP spokesperson, Suraj Pal Amu of Karni Sena spewed hate there too

Known rabble rouser Suraj Pal Amu of Karni Sena, who has recently earned his latest appointment as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesman in Haryana was another speaker reported to have been provoking those at the gathering to “not become history” and ensure that “no Taimur, Aurangzeb, Babur and Humayun are born.” According to news reports, he said, “If India is our mother, then we are the father of Pakistan, and we will not give houses here on rent to the Pakistanis… Remove them from this country.” Amu reportedly added, “If you want to make history in this country, if you don’t want to become history, neither will Taimur be born, nor will Aurangzeb, Babur, Humayun be born. We are 100 crore, and they are 20 crore.” 

His most effective way to stay in the limelight, till recently was to attack makers of period Hindi films, claiming they hurt his ‘Rajput’ pride on celluloid. However, all that pales in comparison to what he has been doing lately. Targeting Muslims, inciting violence, Amu, proudly posts on his Facebook page, clips from communal hate speeches such as the one he made before a “Hindu Mahapanchayat ” at Indri (Nuh), Haryana. He called Muslims, killers, accusing the community of targeting Hindu women and called for the crowds to “respond”.

He justified the killings, especially validating the murder of Asif Khan. Communal tension has been rising in Haryana’s Nuh district following the brutal killing of  27-year-old Asif Khan last month. His family had alleged that he was abducted, asked to chant Hindu chants that had been turned into war cries by Hindutva mobs, and then beaten to death on May 6. Amu’s hate speech against Muslims is received with applause by the large gatherings. On June 11, Amu was named a BJP spokesperson in Haryana. The appointment was announced by BJP’s Haryana state president Om Prakash Dhankar himself. 

In the recent Mahapanchayat, Amu also praised the villagers of Bohra Kalan who did not allow a mosque to be built in their village and told the crowds to “uproot the foundation of works of buildings like these and throw them away”, stated news reports, while he goaded the locals not to allow members of the minority community to settle in Pataudi. As per an Indian Express report, he said, “During 1947, the country was divided, we saw the bodies of 10 lakh people. There is no tally of those bodies till today. And we are giving them houses and shops. It has been found in Pataudi that their parks are being built. Uproot the stone of the park. Which one of the youngsters is ready to uproot the stone?” 

Pataudi is a Municipal Council city in Pataudi tehsil of Gurgaon district. According to Population Census 2011, there are a total 3,481 families residing in the Pataudi city. The census states, “Total Hindu population in Pataudi is 14,418 which is 70.61% of the total population. Also, the total Muslim population in Pataudi is 5,923 which is 29.01% of the total population.”

Amu has once again called for violence against Muslims, telling the crowds to attack them one by one. No action was taken against him the last time he did so, a few weeks ago. His political colleagues have been telling the media that Amu’s words are his personal opinion. However, the hundreds who are cheering him on, seem to agree with his communal and violent ideas. They are likely to listen to people like Amu come election time, not just in Haryana, but also spread hate in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.

Suraj Pal Amu, a senior spokesperson of PM Modi’s ruling party, while addressing a Mahapanchayat (gathering) called for killing Muslims in India. This is his second hate speech in over last one month, where he gave calls for violence against minorities.

pic.twitter.com/wbac59PTym

— Indian American Muslim Council (@IAMCouncil) July 4, 2021

Social harmony can cancel hate

However, there is still hope that peace and fraternity will counter the hate. As shown by a recent meeting in Nuh, where a people’s conference for communal harmony and brotherhood was held on June 20. Participants included ASHA workers, sanitation workers, mid-day meal workers, officials, members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) who came together as citizens of India, to promote communal harmony. Women, especially, joined the conference in large numbers. A visible demand and thought reverberating through the individuals who participated in the conference was that the rights granted by the Constitution of India should be equally granted to all, justice especially should be equally accessible to all.
 

Related:

TN: Over 20,000 peasants gather for mahapanchayat at Kanyakumari
Farmers burn farm law copies during Holika Dahan!
Varanasi: Kisan-Mazdoor Mahapanchayat in PM’s constituency! 
Mahapanchayats to branch out to other states by the end of February: SKM
Mahapanchayats in UP, Rajasthan and Haryana from Feb 12
Mahapanchayats getting bigger, bolder

The post Mahapanchayats and hate panchayats are not the same appeared first on SabrangIndia.

In the video, the Hindutva brigade goons are seen mercilessly thrashing the man and the woman. We’ve edited the part of the video, where the woman’s identity could be revealed.

Upon learning that the man in question was a Muslim, one armed youth lost his temper and unleashed brutal attack on the victim leaving him bleeding.

The attackers did not spare the woman either. The woman was thrashed with heavy stick as she pleaded for mercy.

The SHO at Khurja Police station confirmed to Janta Ka Reporter that at least three arrested goons belonged to Bajrang Dal.

The local police have arrested at least five people including the district convener of the Bajrang Dal.

The cops confirmed that they had booked 20 people including the local convener of the Bajrang Dal, Praveen Bhati, Tanu Solanki, Pushpendra Chaudhary, Nitin and Sonu.

You can watch the video below

Courtesy: Janta Ka Reporter

The post VIDEO: Bajrang Dal goons thrash Muslim couple in Bulandshahr for ‘dirtying’ Hindu neighbourhood appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Image: Kashmir Global/Flickr

As violence escalates between Indian police and Kashmir’s pro-independence protestors, the international community remains silent. Soon this silence threatens to become as protracted as the Kashmir conflict itself. The feud between the warring parties in India and Pakistan has also been heightened in recent days with tensions evocatively on display at the G20 summit. With such a dramatic backdrop, why has the Kashmir question been dismissed so easily? Can this be attributed to the rivalry between India and Pakistan or is it due to the paucity of international debate?

Kashmir has experienced a rise in violence since the murder of separatist militant leader Burhan Wani on 8 July 2016. In the aftermath of the attack, India and Pakistan have blamed one another for causing the unrest. India has accused Pakistan of funding and sheltering terrorist groups. In turn, Pakistan has lambasted India for ignoring human rights abuses by the police force.

I spoke to Moazzem[*], a young photographer based in Srinagar, Kashmir. As with many of his contemporaries, Moazzem is one of the so-called ‘young revolutionaries.’ His generation have been strongly affected by the conflict. The Kashmiri rapper MC Kash states in his music that every man is born a “rebel.” With Kashmiri youth so central to the struggle, it’s easy to understand the inspiration behind the lyric. They are, in their own words, constantly “misrepresented by politicians.” Moazzem was engaged and well-informed regarding the conflict. His answers were filled with detail about the pressures young people experience living in the shadow of a curfew.

Moazzem tells me, “The situation here is getting worse. Today two more youths were killed by police in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. There has been a curfew in place for 50 days. People have been locked in their homes since the killing of local Hizbul Mujahedeen Commander Burhan Wani. During curfew even ambulances and journalists are not allowed through easily. We have to show our ID cards every 10 to 20 metres. Many of us have also been beaten by the local police or Indian forces. Indian forces ask us to show the curfew passes which have been provided by government officials. We have been stopped from covering events many times.”

There have been frequent allegations that Indian forces are not held accountable for abuses of power. A September 2015 report by Amnesty Internationaldocumented the level of impunity for atrocities reportedly committed in Jammu Kashmir. According to human rights groups, these incidents are all too common. Section 7 of the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act, 1990 (AFSPA) grants virtual immunity to members of the security forces. The legislation has proved to be contentious as it prevents prosecution for alleged human rights violations. Section 7 recently sparked riots in response to the Handwara case where a young girl was allegedly assaulted and abused in police custody.

Ending violence like this won’t be possible without first acknowledging the extent of the problem in Kashmir. For this to become a reality, however, there is a strong need for systematic reform. Police must be held accountable: from first line supervisors to senior leadership in towns and cities and right up to the board of the constabulary, Only then will it be possible to understand the disproportionate number of civilians killed in the ongoing unrest.

Pakistan’s response to the current fighting in Kashmir has been criticised by many for its lack of urgency. During his Eid address, prime minister Nawaz Sharif stated that he was sending a delegation of 22 ministers on an international tour to highlight the plight of the Kashmiris. Sharif has faced accusations of bias in the formation of the delegation. While the 22 ministers were selected from a number of different parties the majority were from his own.

The list of delegates has also come under fire for lacking specialist knowledge. The delegation has even been denounced as being closer to tourism than a practical political initiative. The preparation for meetings consists of a briefing by the foreign office. Delegates are then tasked with promoting a strategy on that basis alone. Many observers have denounced these briefings as purely symbolic and unlikely to promote a viable solution. Without adequate credentials, parliamentarians are simply not prepared for the task at hand. From a source, I learned that Pakistan’s foreign minister will likely address the international community about Kashmir ahead of the UN General Assembly. However, because of the mishandling of the delegation, many have criticised this address as a missed opportunity.

The delegation has even been denounced as being closer to tourism than a practical political initiative. 

For Kashmir, the main concern is that Pakistan and India will present insufficient analysis of the crisis, making the path to a resolution unlikely. Kashmir has been missing from the agenda of both governments for years. Although recent activity has brought about much-needed discussions, the situation remains fraught. The imposed curfew in Kashmir has continued for three months, restricting the movement of journalists and human rights organisations. The Indian authorities’ recent arrest of Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Pervez has been another setback in creating an international dialogue about Kashmir.

I discussed the Indian position with Gautham Navlakha from the People’s Union for Democratic Rights. Navlakha describes the silence from Indian civil society as resulting from “a combination of factors. There is disquiet because of political stalemate. The military suppression continues because of a hawkish way of thinking. This is the dominant official line: everything has to be subjugated and the people have to be put in their place. Once you include Pakistan into this whole thing [Kashmir unrest] you add a national security dimension so even the liberal and democratic elements become mute.”

Questions of national security continue to influence the course of the crisis. On 18 September 2016 Pakistani militants stormed a military base in Uri, killing 18 soldiers and injuring a dozen others. Questions have been raised about how terrorists were able to infiltrate the base along the line of control which is a heavily militarised zone. After the attack, Indian news sources reflected the government’s call for direct action with headlines like "PM Modi vows action." The Indian response demonstrates the precarious security situation for neighbouring countries. The Uri attack and its aftermath herald an uncertain future for both India and Pakistan.

The Uri attack has also undermined Pakistan’s authority on the international stage. Nawaz Sharif is due to address the UN General Assembly to present the case for Kashmir. However, the timing of the attack in Uri presents yet another stumbling block for Pakistan’s government. The Kashmiri cause has now been tainted by Pakistani militants’ act of terrorism. There is a concern that no matter how aggressively Nawaz Sharif postures at the general assembly, the narrative may not be strong enough to counter the Uri attack. A number of lawmakers in the United States have expressed solidarity with the Indian government against the threat of terrorism and called for “enhanced cooperation” between the US and India.

As India and Pakistan clash, the violence in Kashmir shows no sign of ending. The last time I contacted Moazzem about the conditions in Srinagar he took time to respond. The situation was worse, he told me, saying that he and another photojournalist had been injured while covering demonstrations. As the number of confrontations between civilians and police increase, the need for level-headed policy is imperative. With both India and Pakistan in possession of nuclear weapons, there is a significant threat that tensions will escalate. The conflict could very well trigger a strike back on one of the most disputed corners of the world. If this is the outcome, the Kashmir cause will remain at an impasse. Unfortunately, censorship and a lack of understanding continue to obscure the roots of the recent dissent.

[*] Name has been changed.

(This article was first published on OpenDemocracy.net.)

Also read: I shall not write any lines (Poem)
Also read: UN experts demand Release of Human Rights Activist Khurram Parvez
 

The post The most disputed Corner of the World: the deepening Crisis in Kashmir appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Anti-Muslim violence spiraled across Myanmar across the past week, even as the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, Yanghee Lee has warned of "tensions along religious lines remain pervasive across Myanmar society" "This is precisely the wrong signal to send. The government must demonstrate that instigating and committing violence against ethnic or religious minorities has no place in Myanmar,"  he said at the end of a 12-day visit to the country.

Nearly 100 police guarded a northern Myanmar village on Saturday, July 2 after a Buddhist mob burned down a mosque, a police officer said, in the second attack of its kind in just over a week as anti-Muslim sentiment swells in the Southeast Asian nation.The state-owned Global New Light of Myanmar said security forces in Hpakant in Kachin state were unable to control Friday’s attackers, who were armed with sticks, knives and other weapons.

It said the mosque’s leaders had failed to meet a June 30 deadline set by local authorities to tear down the structure to make way for construction of a bridge. Earlier, on June 23, a mob demolished a mosque and a Muslim cemetery in a village in Bago Region, about 60 kilometers northeast of Yangon, reportedly as a consequence of a personal dispute.

Tensions are also simmering in western Rakhine, a state scarred by deadly riots in 2012 that left communities almost completely divided along religious lines. The region is home to the stateless Rohingya, a Muslim minority largely relegated to destitute displacement camps and subject to host of restrictions on their movements and access to basic services, AFP reports.

Suu Kyi, a veteran democracy activist who championed her country’s struggle against repressive military rulers, has drawn criticism from rights groups for not taking swifter moves to carve out a solution for the ethnic minority. Her government recently ordered officials to refer to the group as “people who believe in Islam in Rakhine State” instead of Rohingya — a term whose use has set off protests by hardline Buddhists who insist the group are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Yet even the government’s broad phrase has failed to placate local Rakhine Buddhists, who demand the group be referred to only as “Bengalis” and say they are preparing to rally in protest at the order on Sunday. The UN Special Rapporteur (SR) Yanghee Lee urged the country’s new civilian government to make “ending institutionalised discrimination against the Muslim communities in Rakhine State… an urgent priority”. A mob has burned down a mosque in northern Myanmar in the second attack of its kind in just over a week.

Police are reported to be guarding the village of Hpakant in Kachin state, after failing to stop Buddhist villagers setting the mosque ablaze. Last week, a group of men destroyed a mosque in central Myanmar in a dispute over its construction. The UN has earlier, too, warned the government led by Nobel Peace Prize Aung San Suu Kyi to crack down on religious violence. The latest attack took place on Friday, when a group of villagers stormed the mosque and set it on fire. Reports said they attacked police officers guarding it, and stopped the fire brigade from reaching the site.

"The problem started because the mosque was built near a (Buddhist) pagoda. The Muslim people refused to destroy the building when the Buddhists discovered it," Moe Lwin, a local police officer, told AFP. He said around 90 police officers are now stationed in the village, where the situation has calmed. In a similar incident in central Bago state last week, the Muslim community was forced to seek refuge in a neighbouring town, after their mosque was burnt down and a Muslim man was beaten up. It happened in a village called Thayel Tha Mein.

References:
Why is there communal violence in Myanmar?
Myanmar lifts Rakhine emergency four years after communal violence

The post Anti-Muslim Violence Spreads in Myanmaar appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Local BJP MLA Forcibly Occupies Land around Mosque
 
UPDATE:

After this story broke, journalists poke to, and questioned, Kavita Jain, who apart from being an MLA is also the Haryana State Minister for Women and Child Development. At first she denied outright that land around the Mosque in Dewarhu village had been illegally occupied. When pressed further she said, "It may have been a Mosque before Indepedence. That does not make it a Mosque today," she is quoted in The Inquilab  daily of April 7, 2016 as saying.

Meanwhile, Sabrangindia spoke to the former Sarpanch of the village, Haji Juma Sabiq who said that while the immediate tension(s) had somewhat eased the worry over the possible attempts to capture the Mosque and the land, remain.

Muslims living in the Dewarhu village of Sonipat tehsil in Haryana live nail-biting fear after questionable efforts to mark out Hindu homes with the ‘Om’ symbol ostensibly by activists belonging to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the village.

The Inquilab daily, Mewat edition reported on April 5 that Kavita Jain, an MLA (member of the legislative assembly) belonging to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) recently forcibly took possession of the land around the  Purani Masjid, still used by local Muslims for their worship. The report states that Raju Narayan from the local Gadhiar caste was among the local activists belonging to the RSS that have marked out all Hindu homes with the sign ‘Om”. Reportedly, Jain had sought use of the Idgah in the village for a community centre that had been declined. Sabrangindia’s inquiries revealed that of a total of eligible 1500 votes in the village, 500 belong to voters from the Muslim community.

Such a marking out of homes with religio-political symbols has invariably signaled a possible physical attack thereafter. This was visible and marked in post Babri Masjid demolition Bombay in 1992-1993 but specifically in the Gujarat of 2002 where electoral rolls and even company registration lists were used to earmark homes and businesses by exclusion prior to vicious mob attacks.

Photos have been shared with Sabrangindia  by the Inquilab editorial team

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The electoral arena in the 90s has taken a qualitative turn for the worse. The earlier electoral equation, Congress vs. the Janata Dal/Janata Party and its allies, has been replaced by a triangle with first the BJP and now the BJP and its allies as the base of the triangle. Of the two other arms of the triangle, one is the Congress and other is the declining Third Front.

Progressive groups and individuals are faced with a serious dilemma as far as voting in various constituencies and campaigning is concerned. Barring the Left parties — whose secular and democratic credentials are strong — and the other earlier constituents of Third Front — though they had earlier stood on secular and democratic ground, many of them now seem to be wavering — both the major combatants in the electoral battle field are tainted with communalism of different varieties. It is in this context that the stance of the Left in singling out the BJP as THE communal force, to be isolated and dumped on a priority basis, has come for criticism from certain friends and groups from the liberal, progressive and left spectrum. Bringing to our attention the gory deeds of Congress in subtly tolerating communalism, these radical elements are advocating equi–distance from the BJP and the Congress. I would like to examine the pitfalls of this equi–distance thesis in this article. Congress and Communalism: Right since its inception, the main thrust of the Indian National Congress has been to struggle for a democratic, secular India at the formal level. At the same time, there has always been a weakness to accommodate and tolerate communal elements, more so Hindu communal elements. Some of the major leaders of the Congress had strong streaks of Hindu nationalism. The important ones in this category include Lala Lajpat Rai, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya and Dr. Munje (one of the founders of RSS). Many leaders of the Hindu Mahasabha were also the members of the Congress. Dr. K. B. Hedgewar, the first Sarsanghchalak (supremo) of the RSS founded in 1927 was formally in the Congress till 1934. In the pre-Independence era, the Congress acted merely as a platform, the dominant part of it being secular and democratic as represented by the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Nehru. 

Undoubtedly, Hindu communal elements within the Congress put pressure from within to supplement the agenda of the Hindu Mahasabha and RSS, to act as the opposite and parallel of Muslim communalism represented mainly by the Muslim League. With Partition, formation of Pakistan and the migration of theMuslim elite from different parts of the country to Pakistan, Muslim communalism in a way got deflated.But it did survive in the Indian polity, assuming strident postures at crucial times like the Shah Bano case etc, to provide much needed prop to Hindu communalism. 

The Congress underwent major transformation in the mid–sixties. Though it continued to pay lip service to secular rhetoric, apart from appeasing the fundamentalist sections of Muslim community, it did little to ameliorate the conditions of minorities. Also, the state apparatus started getting infiltrated by the Hindu communal elements — RSS trainees — who at the grass root level started giving a Hindu slant to the policies of a formally secular state. It is due to these factors that Muslims started getting discriminated against in jobs and social opportunities. They also became victims of anti–Muslim violence led by Hindu communal organisations, supported and abetted by a  ommunally infected State. The Congress was not principled enough to oppose and curtail this as a section of its leadership was either ‘soft communal’ or had no qualms in compromising with and promoting Hindu  communalism. 

During these years the principal project of the Congress was to build a strong Indian State. In this process it started suppressing ethnic and regional aspirations and imposed the Indian identity and laws on many
ethnic groups and regions by force. The Congress pursued the policy of relentless centralisation and intervened in state affairs at every minor pretext. This led to situations of insurgency in the Northeast, Kashmir and Punjab. In Punjab and Kashmir, the worsening situation was allowed to take a communal turn. The anti–Sikh pogrom led by the Congress in 1984 can be said to belong to this category of repression of ethnic aspirations of Sikhs. 

But as Aijaz Ahmed pointed out some years ago, Congress communalism is a pragmatic one that has been used by it time and again to ‘solve’ some other problem, for example, suppressing  thno–regional aspirations (Economic and Political Weekly, June 1,1996, Pg. 1329). They have to be contrasted with the systematic and sustained anti–Muslim violence whose ideological roots lie in the very concept of Hindu Rashtra. 

Hindu Communal Politics: The basic premise of the RSS is to work towards the goal of Hindu Rashtra and as its political arm, the BJP, is committed to help in the realisation of that goal. Since 1986, the BJP has pursued the aggressive agenda of Hindu Rashtra through the Ramjanambhoomi campaign leading to the demolition of Babri Mosque, post–demolition communal violence etc. Most of the inquiry commission reports on communal violence (Jagmohan Reddy, Justice Madon, Vithayathil, Srikrishna and Venugopal) have proved without any shadow of doubt that the various constituents of the sangh parivar have been the major actors in anti–Muslim communal violence. More recently, the National Human Rights Commission, National Minorities Commission and independent human rights groups have highlighted the role of most of the progenies of the RSS in anti–Christian violence. Lately, after realising that it cannot grab power at the Centre on its own on a communal, the BJP has ‘cleverly’ been talking of the need for a ‘National Agenda of Governance’ and a ‘National Democratic Alliance’ to woo the regional parties whose narrow regional interests and tubular vision does not permit them to see the core communal project of BJP. This temporary democratic posture of the BJP is merely for the sake of gradually increasing its vote bank/social base to be able to come to power at Centre on its own so that the agenda of Hindu Rashtra ‘in toto’ can be imposed on society. Till then the decent looking agenda will remain sprinkled with hidden agendas.

In the long term this elite, middle class party will freeze society in the existent social dynamics, taking away the rights of exploited, oppressed and those on lower rungs of hierarchy to struggle for social, economic and gender justice. The communalism of BJP is a cover for a gradually evolving fascism, with the aim of foisting Brahminical Hindu politics on the country. In the words of Aijaz Ahmed, the sangh parivar’s and the BJP’s is a programmatic communalism. 

Equi–distance and comparisons: It is not to say that the other parties are desirable, ideal and capable of sustaining the secular democratic programme. We have seen that the Congress could impose Emergency with ease and pass various anti–democratic legislation time and again. It has often compromised with and aided Hindu communalism. The other parties have also shown manifest inadequacies as far as perusal of democratic principles is concerned.

But all said and done, none of them is driven by the engine of RSS, a fascist organisation wedded to the concept of Hindu Rashtra — a Brahminical–Hinduism based nationalism akin to race based nationalism or Muslim nationalism. This is what makes the BJP a different cup of tea – nay, poison. Historical Precedents: As I have argued elsewhere(Fascism of Sangh Parivar, EKTA, Mumbai, 1999), the sangh parivar is a fascist variant with a number of similarities to European fascism which got strengthened, post–Mandal, in reaction to Dalit, OBC assertion in 1990s. 

In Germany, Hitler rapidly increased his social and electoral base by projecting the fear of a strong workers movement. The triangle there was: communists, Hitler’s National Socialists (fascists) and the Centrists – Social Democrats, akin to the Congress in India. In spite of seeing the methods and dangerous potential of Hitler, communists, who were a substantial force, in a way followed the electoral policy of
equi–distance from Social Democrats (whom they called social fascists) and the National Socialists (Hitler’s party). Though Hitler did not have majority he was able to come to power through negotiations as the opponents had shifting and divided aims and were unable to focus on the real essentials of power while Nazis had unwavering aims and had a firm grasp on ‘real politics’.

The Imminent Dangers: In view of what I have argued above, the BJP should totally be out of reckoning as far as electoral choice is concerned. Just because there is a vacuum of parties with decent secular and democratic credentials does not mean that one lands up supporting a party whose fascist potential is there without any shadow of doubt? What if the Congress, which time and again has used communalism to fulfil its political ambition, benefits from it? Surely, it is an evil whose magnitude is ‘n’ times lower than thedangers of BJP being in power. 

The equi—distance position stance holds no water. The BJP cannot be equated with any other party; it has to be an ‘untouchable’ for us — Historical revenge of the untouchables!

Archived from Communalism Combat, July 1999, Year 6  No. 51, Debate

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