Extremists To Blast Hindu Prayers During Azaan 

In an attempt to provoke and harass Muslims during Ramadan, Hindu extremist organizations in Karnataka and Maharashtra have announced plans to blast Hindu prayers from loudspeakers when the azaan (Muslim call to prayer) is given from mosques to “protest” the use of loudspeakers, calling it “noise pollution.”

One of the Hindu prayers to be broadcast is the religious slogan “Jai Sri Ram,” which has been weaponized by Hindu extremists as a war cry against minorities and used to humiliate the victims of mob lynchings.

In Maharashtra, BJP leader Mohit Kamboj tweeted that he would cover the cost of loudspeakers for Hindu extremist groups who wanted to blast Hindu prayers in protest of the azaan.

“Anyone who needs a loudspeaker to install it in a temple can ask us for free! All Hindus should have one voice! Jai Shri Ram! Har Har Mahadev!” he said on Twitter.

In Karnataka, the Hindu extremist group Shri Ram Sena stated that it had submitted a request to the authorities demanding that the azaan not be broadcast at 5 a.m., the time of Muslims’ dawn prayers.

Karnataka Racks Up Anti-Muslim Policies Against Hijabi Teachers, Traders

As part of Karnataka’s unrelenting attack on the rights and freedoms of Muslim women, the government ordered that teachers who insisted on wearing the hijab would be dismissed from exam duty. This discriminatory ban goes a step further than the High Court’s unconstitutional order against religious dress in places where uniforms are prescribed, as uniforms only apply to students, not teachers.

“As hijab is not allowed inside the examination hall for students, to be morally right, we are not forcing teachers who insist on wearing hijab to take up exam duty. Such teachers are relieved from exam duty,” state education minister B.C. Nagesh said.

Meanwhile, as Hindu extremists seek to put Muslims in an economic chokehold across Karnataka, posters calling for a ban on Muslim traders during a 12-day Hindu religious festival have been spotted in the Chikkmanglur district of the state.

This ban comes just weeks after a series of other anti-Muslim economic campaigns: Hindu extremists called for a ban on halal meat, Muslims were banned from selling wares near all Hindu temples, and Muslim traders were banned from setting up shop during a non-religious festival in Shivamogga district.

Christians Slam Hindu Extremist Calls To Boycott Halal Meat

Indian Christian leaders have joined Muslim groups in slamming Hindu extremist calls to boycott halal meat, which have spread from Karnataka to several other areas in India.

Father Faustine Lucas Lobo, spokesperson of the Karnataka Catholic Bishops’ Council, criticized the BJP for spearheading the calls for economic boycott against Muslims rather than addressing structural issues such as unemployment and inflation.

“It all started with the hijab controversy and now halal meat, then there were other issues like love jihad. It is all a game plan for the forthcoming election, which [the BJP] does not want to lose,” he said, adding that “the government is trying to convince Hindu voters that it is the savior of their religion and culture.”

Mob Brutally Attacks Husband Of Dalit Village Council President 

A Hindu extremist mob brutally assaulted a Dalit man and abused him with casteist slurs. The victim, Moorthy, 52, is the husband of Geetha, president of a village council. She confirmed that the attack was led by a man of a different caste named Rajagopalan.

“On the night of April 1, Rajagopalan, along with six persons, came to the house and beat me. They started beating my husband with a hammer, and a sugarcane, and they hit him with a big rock on his chest, too,” Geetha reported.

Saravanan, Moorthy’s son, described the brutality of the attack in detail.

“The gang had beaten my father so much with the hammer that at one point, the head of the hammer broke from its handle… My father was running away to escape them but they followed him throughout. At a point, he even collapsed and fell unconscious, but the gang did not relent,” he said.

Moorthy is currently hospitalized from his injuries. Police reports have been filed against seven perpetrators.