Muslim truck driver lynched to death over minor collision in Karnataka
On a highway in Karnataka’s Belagavi, a minor traffic collision escalated into a mob lynching of 23-year-old Muslim truck driver Azim Malikrihan Ippery. The assailants pursued his vehicle for over 1.5 kilometers before intercepting it, dragging him out, and beating him to death.
Police have arrested five suspects involved in the brutal murder, but the incident adds to the growing concern over mob violence against Muslims in India.
Hindu extremists harass interfaith couple in BJP-ruled Uttarakhand
In BJP-ruled Uttarakhand’s Haridwar, Hindu extremists harassed an interfaith couple trying to book a hotel room. The vigilantes hurled anti-Muslim slurs and handed the couple over to the police, claiming they were engaging in “love jihad.”
Accusations of “love jihad,” an anti-Muslim conspiracy theory that alleges Muslim men seduce Hindu women to convert them to Islam, have led to a surge in violence against interfaith couples.
Study reveals Indian cow vigilante violence thrives on Instagram
A report by US-based think tank Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) reveals Instagram’s role in enabling cow vigilantes to promote violence, anti-Muslim propaganda, and fundraising activities. Titled “Streaming Violence: How Instagram Fuels Cow Vigilantism in India,” the study analyzed over 1,000 accounts linked to such groups and documented 167 posts showing explicit violence—none of which were removed by Instagram.
The report highlights that vigilante posts, including violent reels, garnered millions of views, with state programs in BJP-led regions allegedly supporting these groups as proxies for law enforcement.
Hindu extremists mobilize with sticks and batons to target Christians in Rajasthan
In Chattisgarh’s Raigarh, Hindu extremists raided a Christian prayer meeting and harassed the pastor, claiming that the group was forcibly converting Hindus to Christianity. In a similar incident in Rajasthan’s Ganganagar, Hindu extremist groups armed with sticks and batons targeted Christians over similar allegations.
Anti-conversion laws in several BJP-ruled states have emboldened such vigilante groups to raid religious gatherings, leading to increased harassment and violence against Christians.
Jama Mosque in Uttar Pradesh surveyed after plea alleges it was built over a temple
Following a Hindu supremacist petition claiming that the 300-year-old Jama Mosque in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal was built over a temple, a court has ordered a survey of the mosque. The court directed immediate action, with the survey conducted under police supervision the same night.
Emboldened by the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple, Hindu extremist leaders have begun calling for replacing historic mosques with temples in Kashi, Mathura and other cities.
