Last year India witnessed series of Hate crimes against Muslims after the country’s mainstream media run a hateful campaign blaming Muslims for the spread of deadly coronavirus. However, this year, the administration and right-wingers alike attacking Muslims, killing them and denying them their fundamental rights. Here are some of the incidents that happened within the last 10 days.
- 17 Year Old Vegetable Vendor Couldn’t Take Police Brutality and Die
- Journalist First Thrashed by Right Wingers and then-Police Charged him for Rioting
- 100 Years Old Mosque illegally demolished by the Local Administration
- Another Young Muslim Man Lynched to Death
- Abused, Stalked and ‘Auctioned’ Online On Eid
On 21st May, Friday a 17-year-old vegetable vendor died after being allegedly thrashed by police for violating Covid-19 restrictions in Uttar Pradesh’s Bangarmau town, triggering protests and an official probe.
Mohammad Faisal was selling vegetables at the local market beyond the deadline of 3 pm when the accused policeman Vijay Chowdhary and home guard Satya Pradesh allegedly started beating him for violating Covid restrictions, said Mohammad Islam, Faisal’s father.
“We got a telephone call from a vendor who told us about the assault. I reached the kotwali but by that time, he was taken to the hospital. On getting there, I learnt he was dead,” Mohammad Islam said. According to the police, Faisal died around 4.30 pm.
Ameen Farooqui, a local TV journalist in Siddharthnagar in Uttar Pradesh was brutally thrashed by youths belonging to the Hindu Yuva Vahini, a Hindu right-wing outfit, while officials including the Sub-Divisional Magistrate Tribhuvan Kumar, Circle Officer Ajay Srivastava and Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker Raghvendra Pratap Singh watched as silent spectators.
Singh is also the state convener of Hindu Yuva Vahini.
Instead of taking action against the attackers, police rubbed salt into the wounds of the victim; on Tuesday, 18t May, Faruqui, Farhan and Rashid were booked under section 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (criminal intimidation), 342 (wrongful confinement) and I47 (rioting) of the IPC.
On the evening of 17th May, the Ghareeb Nawaz Al Maroof Mosque, which residents in the Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh say was nearly 100 years old, was demolished by the local administration after hundreds of policemen surrounded the area and halted the movement of people to prevent any protest.
“This act is against the law, misuse of power and utter violation of clear orders passed by the high court. We will immediately approach the high court demanding restoration of the mosque, high-level judicial inquiry and action against the guilty officers,” the board’s chairman Zufar Ahmad Faruqi said
Asif Khan, a Muslim gym trainer from Mewat district, Haryana, was lynched to death by Hindu vigilante groups on 16th May, Sunday night, after forcing him to chant “Jai Shree Raam”, a prayer turned warcry by the Hindu nationalist militants. Rashid (31) and Wasif (22), co-passengers with Khan were also assaulted but survived the attack.
Khan was found dead in Nangli, a village on the outskirts of Sonha, Haryana. Khan’s relative also shared that there is a history of hostility between Khan and Hindu groups in his village.
Asif is survived by three kids and a wife, three sons who are 6 years old, 4 years old and five months old respectively.
The next day, hours after the family staged a protest for not burying Khan until the accused were arrested, Haryana’s Nuh Police arrested six men on the evening of 17 May and said that the hunt for the remaining accused is on.
On May 14, a section of social media users from Pakistan sounded the alarm over some Indian men “rating” and “auctioning off” women online basis the Eid photos they were sharing. Twitter handles @keshu_10 and one YouTuber Ritesh Kumar Jha were reportedly identified and prominently named for allegedly leading the clarion call for online harassment of Muslim women.
Hasiba Amin, National Coordinator for Indian National Congress’ social media, was earmarked by the abusers. “They ‘auctioned’ me that day. Disgusting objectification of me in order to ‘place bids’ accordingly. I got to know later this was an extension of a YouTube live stream from a day ago. On Twitter, it was being dubbed ‘husna pe charcha‘. People found out the Liberal Doge account apparently does these videos for entertainment and then raises money for sustenance. A payment account listed named Ritesh Jha, which is how people came to know the person behind all this. He has been doing this for a long time now.”
