Former Muslim politician, brother shot dead on live TV in Uttar Pradesh
A Muslim former politician was shot dead on live TV along with his brother while in police custody in Hindu supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Uttar Pradesh state. At least one of the three shooters was chanting “Jai Shri Ram,” or “Hail Lord Ram” as they surrendered to police, a slogan that has become a war cry used by Hindu supremacists against Muslims.
Multiple shots were fired at former Member of Parliament Atiq Ahmed and former lawmaker Ashraf Ahmed as they were being taken in handcuffs to hospital by police for a medical checkup.
The three gunmen, who had posed as journalists in order to get close to the former politicians, quickly surrendered to the police after the shooting.
The incident has led to outrage from opposition leaders and civil society, who have slammed the BJP-led government of Uttar Pradesh for its deteriorating rule of law.
“I am shocked by the brazen anarchy and total collapse of law & order in Uttar Pradesh,” tweeted West Bengal state Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee.
“It is shameful that perpetrators are now taking the law in their own hands, unfazed by the police and media presence,” she added.
“When someone can be killed in firing openly amid the security cordon of the police, then what about the safety of the general public?” tweeted Akhilesh Yadav, leader of the Samajwadi Party.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is a known Hindu supremacist who has openly encouraged acts of violence against Muslims, emboldening Hindu militants throughout the state.
Hindu extremist group conducts gun training, calls for raising an army of 20 million
As calls for a Muslim genocide grow more popular, prominent Hindu militant leader Pravin Togadia announced that he will raise an army of 20 million Hindus to make India a Hindu nation. The statement comes after the completion of a 3-day gun training camp organized by the Hindu militant group Bajrang Dal in Rajasthan state.
In January, Togadia announced the distribution of tridents among 20 million Hindus in BJP-ruled Uttarakhand, the same state where Hindu supremacist leaders in 2021 called on Hindus to kill 200 million Muslims.
The growing weaponization of violent Hindu supremacists is a cause of concern for the minority Muslim community, who are being threatened with mass slaughter from extremist groups and BJP leaders alike.
US citizen’s Overseas Citizenship Card revoked for criticizing Hindu supremacism
An Indian actor, Chetan Kumar, who is a US citizen and a Fulbright scholar, said that the Hindu supremacist BJP government has revoked his Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card after he criticized Hindu supremacism.
Kumar is currently on bail after being arrested over a tweet in which he stated that the Hindu supremacist ideology “was built on lies.” A court sent the actor to judicial custody for two weeks.
This is the second time in just over a year that Kumar has been arrested over a tweet. Last February, he was arrested for questioning why a judge who had victim-blamed a rape survivor was hearing Muslim women’s pleas against Karnataka state’s ban on wearing hijabs in schools.
