Daughter of convict in 2002 Gujarat massacres to contest elections for BJP
A Hindu supremacist who was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the 2002 anti-Muslim massacres in Gujarat state and later granted bail on health grounds, Manoj Kukrani, is campaigning for his daughter, Payal Kukrani, as a candidate of the Hindu supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Payal Kukrani is among the BJP’s list of 160 candidates for the upcoming elections in Gujarat state. “My father has been an experienced politician…My father, mother and all BJP leaders are helping me in my election campaign,” she said.
Manoj was a BJP worker at the time of the Gujarat pogroms, during which Muslim men, women, and children were brutally slaughtered at the hands of Hindu supremacist mobs. At least nine complaints pointed out his involvement in the extremist Hindu mob that torched and gang-raped Muslim women during the massacre. Court records say that he was seen with firearms, which were used to burst gas cylinders to destroy Muslim homes and burn the families inside them to death.
The pogroms took place on February 28, 2002, in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad and are described as “the largest single case of mass murder.” Under the watch of then-Chief Minister Narendra Modi, 97 Muslims were slaughtered by a mob of approximately 5,000 Hindu extremists.
Five Christians jailed under anti-conversion law for distributing pamphlets
Five Christian men were arrested in Karnataka state on false charges of forceful conversion for distributing pamphlets outside a church.
The men were picked up Thursday night and sent to 14 days of custody.
Police have claimed that local Hindu supremacists objected to the men distributing pamphlets near a church.
The “anti-conversion” bill passed by the Hindu supremacist BJP-ruled Karnataka government was widely criticized by religious minorities and rights groups as it could
be weaponized by Hindu supremacist groups to harass, assault, and persecute Muslims and Christians. Karnataka is one of several states across India that have anti-conversion laws in place.
Four Muslim minors detained for celebrating Pakistan’s cricket win
Police in Karnataka state have detained four Muslim minors on allegations of them celebrating Pakistan’s victory in the ICC Men’s T20 cricket World Cup on Friday.
The police claimed that the minors raised “pro-Pakistan slogans.”
The minors had allegedly celebrated after Pakistan beat New Zealand in the semi-finals.
The minors hailed from Assam state and were employed in a local coffee farm. The manager of the farm, without any evidence, blatantly told officials that the minors were “illegal immigrants.”
The ludicrous charges are an indication of India’s ongoing crackdown on free speech, especially for Muslims, making it dangerous for Indian citizens to express any positivity towards neighboring Muslim-majority Pakistan.
Bay Area Cities in United States Adopt Resolution Denouncing Islamophobia
The Cities Association of Santa Clara County on Thursday adopted a landmark resolution denouncing Islamophobia. Islamic Networks Group (ING), a California-based education and outreach group, helped draft the resolution.
The resolution was introduced by San Jose Vice Mayor Chappie Jones and focuses on countering individual and institutional forms of Islamophobia or “anti-Muslim racism,” including in cities, neighborhoods, schools, businesses, and government.
“Now Therefore, Be It Resolved that the Cities Association of Santa Clara County stands in solidarity with its Muslim communities, upholding their safety and rights, and condemns any bigotry, bias, or acts of violence against them, especially acts that are predicated on religious intolerance,” the statements reads.
This resolution follows a series of Islamophobic comments that were made by elected government officials at a San Jose City Council meeting on June 7, 2022.
