Dalits, Muslims targeted across India: Will Modi walk the talk on inclusion and diversity?

A prominent tribal activist and teacher in Jamshedpur Co-operative College, Jharkhand, Jeetrai Hansda, was arrested on May 27, two years after a complaint was filed against him by the RSS’s student wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), for his facebook post on Adivasi communities’ tradition of eating beef and conducting ceremonial cow sacrifice.

In another horrific incident, a Muslim man named Mohammad Qasim, was allegedly shot after he revealed his Muslim name and was told to go back to Pakistan. The incident took place on May 26 in Begusarai, Bihar. An FIR has been lodged at the local Cheria-Bariarpur police station and Rajiv Yadav has been named as one of the accused. Notably, the Begusarai seat was won by Giriraj Singh, who is highly infamous for his communal politics.
 

Even the foreigners have not been spared from Hindu fundamentalism. Reportedly, on May 28, a Latvian was attacked near a temple at Mathura and was forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram.’ When he refused to do so, he was attacked with a knife on his throat. An FIR has been registered under section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code, against the accused, Rishi Kumar.
 

In another paternalistic incident, a young adult Hindu woman was physically and verbally abused by a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) member, Vikas Sharma, at a City Magistrate in Uttarakhand on the day when she was to marry her Muslim partner. A complaint has been lodged by the woman against Sharma and investigations are underway.
 

In West Bengal, where the BJP’s performance was extremely unexpected and unprecedented, a 23-year old Muslim girl was harassed by a group of 10 to 12 men outside her college on May 25. Reportedly, when the men saw the hijab-wearing girl they started chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ loudly and tried to intimidate her. An FIR has been lodged against the accused.
 

Just a day before the election results were announced, two Muslim men and one woman were brutally thrashed by a group of cow vigilantes over the suspicion of carrying beef in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh. One of the accused, Shubham Baghel, was seen campaigning for BJP’s Bhopal candidate and 2008 Malegaon blast accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur. An FIR has been lodged against the five accused.
 

In Vadodara, Gujarat,  a Dalit couple was attacked by a group of upper caste men over the Dalit man’s facebook post saying that the government does not permit the village temple to be used for Dalit wedding ceremonies. Though the incident took place on May 20, the couple approached the police on May 24. An FIR has been lodged against 11 accused. Notably, secretary general of Rajput Shakti Yuva Sangathan’s Padra unit, Kiran Padhiyar, filed a complaint against the male victim under IPC sections 153 1 (a) and (b) (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language), 294 (Obscene acts and songs) and 406 (Punishment for criminal breach of trust).
 

In another incident of cow vigilantism, four labourers were allegedly beaten by a group of youth over the suspicion that they were eating beef. The incident took place on May 29 in Bareilly district, Uttar Pradesh. The Bareilly police registered an FIR on May 31 against four identified persons and three unidentified persons.
 

In yet another case of caste-driven atrocity, a 33-year old Dalit farmer’s limbs were cut and then burnt alive by a group of miscreants when he was resting near his farm in Kotwali Patti, Bela Rampur, Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh. The incident took place when the victim, Vinay Kumar Saroj alias Bablu, was sleeping near a pumping set, 300 meters away from his house, to guard his farm. Reportedly, the incident was a result of an altercation between Vinay and members from other communities, after Vinay was seen celebrating India’s win against Pakistan in the cricket match held on Sunday. The police has lodged a complaint against unknown persons under sections 302 (murder) and 201(disappearance of evidence) and have taken Vijendra, the victim’s partner in his piggery business, into custody for interrogation.

On June 12, a Dalit youth named Prakash was allegedly nabbed to death by three accused, who attacked his house and then murdered him with a knife. The victim was rushed to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Two other people are critical and undergoing treatment in the hospital. As per the Thangadh police, a case has been registered under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities Act) and have arrested two of the accused.

An 8-year Dalit boy named Aryan Khadse was made to sit on hot tiles over the suspicion of theft from a local temple, Jogona Mata temple, in Arvi, Wardha, Maharashtra on June 16. Khadse suffered severe burn injuries after he was allegedly made to take off his clothes and sit on the tiles which were simmering due to the scorching heat by the accused, Amol Dhore (32), who suspected that Khadse had stolen coins. An accused has been arrested and a case has been registered under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act-1989, relevant sections of the IPC and the POCSO act.

In yet another communal incident, a Muslim family was attacked while they were in a van, 40 kilometers away from Aligarh in Jattari village, by a group of saffron-clad men. Reportedly, the accused, who were on bikes, attacked the van with rods which had a Hindu girl as well who tried to stop the miscreants. An FIR has been lodged in the local police station. There is a suspicion that the attack was the result of the recent communally-charged Aligarh murder case of a two year old (Hindu) girl by (Muslim) accused which has led to polarisation and an anti-Muslim scenario.
 

On June 18, 2019, a 24-year old Muslim man, Tabrez Ansari, was brutally beaten after being tied to a pole over the suspicion that he had stolen a new bike. The incident took place in Jamshedpur Jharkhand while Ansari was on his way home on a bike. A mob, led by Pappu Mandar, tied Ansari to a pole, force him to tell his name and then told him to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Jai Hanuman.’ The next morning the mob took Ansari to the police who then booked Ansari under theft charges and sent him to jail. After Ansari’s health deteriorated on the night of June 21, he was taken to the Seraikela Sadar Hospital, where he died around 10 A.M. the next day. The police have taken the accused into custody and suspended two officials for negligence.

A Muslim man named Mohammad Momin was allegedly attacked by three car-borne people in the Rohini area of the national capital after he refused to chant Jai Shri Ram. The incident took place on the morning of June 21, when a white car stopped Momin and told to read some religious lines to which Momin refused. A complaint has been lodged against the accused and the police are examining the CCTV footage to gather evidence.  

A group of Muslim men were allegedly attacked by members of a local right-wing group while they were travelling in a car in Barpeta, Assam on June 18. The assailants first attacked the victims and then forced them to say ‘Jai Shri Ram,’ ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and ‘Pakistan Murdabad.’ Two FIRs have been filed against the right wing organisation and its founder by the All Assam Minority Students'' Union (AAMSU) and the North-East Minorities Students' Union (NEMSU).