BJP councilor part of Hindu mob attack on Muslim man, his pregnant sister
A councilor from the Hindu supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was one of 11 Hindu extremists named in a police report for violently assaulting a pregnant Muslim woman, her mother, and her brother in Telangana state.
In a disturbing video of the incident, a mob of saffron-clad Hindu extremists can be seen assaulting the man, Imran, and forcefully stripping him after knocking him down. His mother and sister can be seen attempting to save him, receiving blows from the Hindu extremists as well.
Imran’s sister later suffered a miscarriage, which police refused to link to the violent mob attack.
The attack was orchestrated by a Hindu man, Lingam, who had gotten into an argument with Imran earlier that day, resulting in Imran hitting him with a sandal. Lingam later returned to launch a full-blown assault on Imran and his family with a Hindu extremist mob, which included a local BJP leader.
Shockingly, though all 11 Hindu extremists were booked in police reports, only Imran has been arrested. This gross failure of Indian law enforcement is part of a larger trend of Hindu militants and extremists facing no consequences for carrying out violent attacks on minorities.
Muslim activist and political prisoner Atikur Rahman gets bail after years in jail
Muslim human rights defender and political prisoner Atikur Rahman, who has languished for over two years in jail under India’s draconian anti-terror law, finally received bail in a baseless money laundering case. He is set to walk free on June 5.
Rahman was arrested in October 2020 along with three other Muslim men, including Muslim journalist Siddique Kappan, who became internationally known as a prisoner of conscience due to the ludicrous case against him. The four men were traveling to Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, to learn more about the horrific gang-rape and murder of a teenage Dalit girl by upper-caste Hindu men.
Rahman was arrested under the baseless accusation that he had received money to “incite riots.” The BJP-ruled government of Uttar Pradesh also accused Rahman of “sedition,” “promoting enmity between groups,” “outraging religious feelings” and “criminal conspiracy.”
While in prison, Rahman’s health deteriorated to the point of needing open heart surgery and multiple hospitalizations. The left side of his body was also paralyzed.
Amnesty International has previously demanded Rahman’s release, calling his detention “vindictive” and “a travesty.”
BJP ex-minister booked for threatening Congress leader during election rally
BJP ex-minister Ashwath Narayan has been booked for making a threat against Karnataka state’s new Chief Minister, Congress party leader Siddaramaiah, during the state’s recent elections.
“Finish [Siddaramaiah] off like Tipu was,” Narayan said during an election rally, referring to the historic Muslim king Tipu Sultan, who led some of the earliest armed resistance movements against the British.
In the same speech, Narayan falsely claimed that Tipu Sultan was killed by Hindus, while historical records prove he was killed by the British.
Siddaramaiah responded to the threat on Twitter, saying, “Higher Education Minister… has appealed [to] people to kill me like how Tipu was killed. Aswath Narayan, Why are you trying to instigate people? Get the gun yourself.”
“I am not surprised by [his] call to kill me. How can we expect love & friendship from the leaders of the party that worships the murderer of Mahatma Gandhi?” Siddaramaiah added. “It is surprising that no action has been taken against a minister who has openly appealed people to kill.”
Narayan has been booked for “criminal intimidation” and “giving provocation with intent to cause riots.”
