Court dismisses all pleas seeking to protect historic mosque from Hindu extremists
The Allahabad High Court in far-right Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Uttar Pradesh state has ruled against the Muslim side, dismissing all five pleas challenging a suit by Hindu extremists that aims to build a temple at the site of the historic Gyanvapi mosque.
Recently, the court also allowed a plea filed by Hindu supremacists seeking an inspection of the historic Shahi Idgah mosque in Mathura city. Since the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992 by a Hindu militant mob and the subsequent construction of a temple on the disputed land, Hindu supremacist groups have been attempting similar demolitions of historic mosques across India.
Hindu militant leader says Muslim women must marry Hindu men
In Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, Hindu militant group Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Sadhvi Prachi delivered a hate speech against Muslims and targeted Muslim women by calling on them to marry Hindu men. In a similar tone, last month, Hindu supremacist news editor Suresh Chavhanke called on Hindu men to marry Muslim women and convert them to Hinduism, a bigoted and sexist demand that calls on Hindus to counter the baseless conspiracy theory of “love jihad.”
Despite being debunked, “love jihad” remains a rallying point for Hindu extremists against Muslims. In Dhanbad, Jharkhand, a far-right Hindu group organized a protest rally demanding a law to tackle “love jihad.”
Police officers harass and assault Kashmiri fruit vendors
In Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, police officers harassed and assaulted Kashmiri fruit vendors and removed their stalls over alleged disruption of traffic. This is the fourth incident since 2019 when business of Kashmiri vendors were obstructed by the police, civic officials, or far-right groups. The vendors have been slapped, beaten up with sticks and also subjected to verbal abuses and anti-Muslim remarks.
Hindu extremists forcibly shut down meat stores in Haryana
In Palwal, Haryana, members of the Hindu militant group Bajrang Dal forcibly closed meat shops, claiming they were operating close to temples and “hurting Hindu religious sentiments.”
Officials and far-right groups often forcibly shut down meat stores in BJP-ruled states. Recently, in Madhya Pradesh, authorities bulldozed meat shops in Ujjain after RSS-affiliated Chief Minister Mohan Yadav declared restrictions on the sale of meat and eggs in open spaces.
