Far-right BJP wins elections in three states after anti-Muslim election campaigns
India’s ruling far-right Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged victorious in three out of four key state elections – Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh – where BJP leaders consistently used anti-Muslim rhetoric and fear mongering in election rallies. Activists warn that the BJP’s victory in Rajasthan could also result in a huge surge in cow vigilante activities within the state.
The BJP’s election rallies across the states saw top leaders, including state and federal ministers, giving anti-Muslim hate speeches that included slurs, propaganda claims, and conspiracy theories. The party is expected to use similar tactics in the upcoming national elections, scheduled in less than six months.
Dalit men beaten with iron rods, urinated upon in Tamil Nadu
In a disturbing incident of caste-based violence in Erode, Tamil Nadu, two Dalit youths, Naveenkumar and Kirubakaran, were beaten with iron rods and verbally abused by a group of upper-caste Hindu men, who then urinated into their mouths when they asked for water.
Police illegally detain, harass, coerce Muslim woman to walk without hijab
In Delhi, a Muslim woman, Reshma Shafiquddin, was detained without a warrant by police after they illegally entered her home at 3 AM. Shafiquddin was also forced to walk without her veil to the police station, where she was detained for 13 hours and subjected to “inhuman and degrading treatment.” Reshma has now moved the Delhi High Court in a petition, seeking action against the police officers.
Indian minister Giriraj Singh calls for closure of madrasas in Bihar state
Federal minister Giriraj Singh has called for the closure of “illegal” madrasas (Islamic seminaries) in Bihar state, claiming that over 3,000 schools in the state are in need of “verification.”
Muslim-run schools and Islamic seminaries have regularly come under attack by Hindu supremacists. Recently, the far-right BJP government of Uttar Pradesh has mandated the closure of around 8,000 madrassas within the state, along with the imposition of a daily fine for non-compliance.
Hindu extremist groups continue to organize anti-Muslim hate speech events
In Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, the Hindu supremacist group Rashtriya Bajrang Dal organized an event, where extremist speakers called on Hindus to target Muslim places of worship. In Meerut, a leader of the Hindu militant group Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) delivered a hate speech while boasting about demolition of Babri Mosque, which was torn down by Hindu militant mobs in 1992.
In Osmanabad, Maharashtra, VHP leader Baburao Punjari delivered hate speech against Muslims and threatened to “take action” against mosques in Mathura and Varanasi.
In Haridwar, Uttarakhand, far-right group Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) chief Pravin Togadia addressed hundreds of workers and indulged in fear-mongering while peddling anti-Muslim conspiracy theories.
