BJP leader among those arrested for assault on Christians, forced conversion
Following a rampage of attacks against Christians in Chhattisgarh state, police have arrested a leader of the Hindu extremist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and four other Hindu supremacists for inciting violence against Christians and threatening them with assault until they converted to Hinduism.
According to the police, district president of the BJP Roop Sai Salam and 2,000 others had gathered prior to the vandalism of a church and dispersed into smaller armed groups “with the aim to damage the place of worship of a particular community.”
The incident occurred weeks after Hindu supremacists in Chhattisgarh state forcibly converted around a thousand Christians from the marginalized tribal community to Hinduism throughout December, using violent coercion methods, including physical assault with rods and rubber tires and threats of displacement and death.
Christians in Chattisgarh remain facing a series of ongoing and coordinated attacks by Hindu supremacists – including mob beatings, evictions, molestation, sexual harassment, church vandalism, and property theft.
Students’ skit portrays Muslims as terrorists in event organized by Kerala government
In a public display of hateful propaganda, a government-organized school arts festival in Kerala state depicted Muslims as terrorists during its inaugural skit before an audience of over 10,000 people.
The students in the play depicted a Muslim man wearing a religious white cap as a terrorist caught by Indian army personnel.
The festival, in which more than 10,000 students from across the 14 districts of the Kerala state participated, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and attended by a host of ministers and lawmakers.
The hateful skit sparked anger on social media, with activists and community members outraged to see such blatant propaganda being pushed in a school setting.
BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh to evict 44 Muslim families from their homes
As many as 44 Muslim families have been ordered to vacate their homes in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh state. This continues a spate of demolitions launched by BJP-ruled governments all over India.
The government attempted to justify the eviction drive under the blatantly false claim that the families were “unauthorized occupants” living on “encroached” land.
Meanwhile, locals say that on December 25, the revenue officer vandalized Muslim-owned houses and shops while serving the eviction notice, which is a grossly illegal act.
The announcement comes amid massive outrage and protests over the BJP-ruled Uttarakhand state’s order to demolish 4,365 buildings in a Muslim-dominated area in a militarized eviction drive, which will force 4,500 families out of their homes.
In the past year, bulldozers have become a weapon in the hands of Hindu supremacist governments across India to destroy the homes and livelihoods of the Muslim community.
