Federal probe agency raids home of Muslim prisoners’ rights activist
India’s federal probe agency raided the residence of prisoners’ rights activist Abdul Wahid Shaikh, who is known for his advocacy against fabricated cases involving Muslims in India. Shaikh, himself a survivor of state persecution and an author, was acquitted in a blast case after spending nine years in jail under draconian anti-terror laws.
This raid was part of a broader operation, spanning multiple states including Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi, officials said.
Author Arundhati Roy may face prosecution in India over 2010 speech on Kashmir
Booker prize-winning Indian novelist Arundhati Roy could be prosecuted for a 2010 speech about Kashmir after a top Indian official signed off on the move. Roy, 61, is a staunch critic of Hindu supremacist Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
A criminal complaint accusing her and several others of sedition had languished in India’s notoriously glacial criminal justice system since it was filed in 2010. But recently, VK Saxena, the top official in the administration governing Delhi, had approved the case to proceed before the courts.
Uttar Pradesh police register forced conversion cases with no legal standing
A study of 101 police complaints registered under far-right Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Uttar Pradesh state’s anti-conversion law, showed that more than half were in response to complaints by third parties, which means they may have no legal standing and should not have been registered by the police. Most of the third parties were far-right Hindu outfits that were using the law to harass Christians, while the police registered loosely worded cut-copy-paste complaints based on “prior information” and saying “bad things” about the Hindu religion.
Hindu extremists continue to demolish Muslim shrines in Uttarakhand
In far-right BJP-ruled Uttarakhand’s Dehradun, Hindu extremist men and women demolished another Muslim shrine using sledgehammers. Recently, while speaking at an event organized by the Hindu militant group Bajrang Dal, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami proudly proclaimed that his government had demolished hundreds of Muslim shrines.
Last month, multiple videos surfaced, showing Hindu extremists utilizing sledgehammers to demolish Muslim shrines, including the domes, while shouting the Hindu supremacist slogan “jai shri ram.”
Hindu extremist leaders call for arming Hindus, demolishing mosques
In Pathankot, Punjab, at an event by Hindu militant group Vishwa Hindu Parishad event, a Hindu far-right leader calls for demolishing Muslim places of worship and replacing them with temples.
In Bantwal, Karnataka, far-right Hindu leader Sadhvi Saraswati peddled conspiracy theories against Muslims, called for arming Hindus, and advocated violence against Muslims. “Anyone who dares to harm the existence of Hindus, we will wipe off your colonies,” she told the crowd.
In Motihari, Bihar, a Hindu extremist leader delivered hate speech demonizing Muslims and Christians.
