Four Muslim men lynched to death in Bihar over parking dispute
Four Muslim men were lynched to death by a Hindu mob in Aurangabad, Bihar, over a parking dispute. The police, however, have denied any communal angle in the incident. According to the police, during the dispute, one of the men involved shot at a bystander who died on the spot. After this a mob of Hindu onlookers pounced on the men, killing four of them.
University warns students against demonstrations over Ram temple consecration
The administration of a university in Mumbai city, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, threatened students against organizing or participating in public programs opposing the Ram temple consecration, failing which the “law-enforcing agency” would take action. Students criticized the threatening tone of the administration, saying it was an arbitrary and undemocratic move to prevent students from exercising their freedom of speech on campus premises.
The consecration ceremony of Ram temple at Ayodhya is scheduled to take place on January 22. The temple stands on the plot of land once occupied by the Babri Masjid, which was illegally demolished by a mob of Hindu militants in 1992.
Hindu militant leader urges Hindus to take up arms, distributes sharp tridents
In Sikar, Rajasthan, a leader of the Hindu militant group Bajrang Dal promoted conspiracy theories to stoke anti-Muslim sentiments and urged Hindus to take up arms. Bajrang Dal members also distributed sharp tridents among the participants.
The growing weaponization of violent Hindu supremacists is a cause of concern for the minority Muslim community, who are routinely threatened with mass slaughter by Hindu extremist groups.
Muslim truck driver arrested for praying on roadside in BJP-ruled Gujarat
Amid the increasing criminalization of Muslim displays of faith by the Hindu supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, a Muslim truck driver, Bachal Khan, was arrested for offering prayers on the side of a road in Gujarat state. Khan was seen offering prayers in front of his truck parked on the side of a busy crossroad, after which the police booked a case against him.
Police open fire at alleged “cattle smugglers,” victims sustain bullet wounds
In BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur, police fired at two alleged “cattle smugglers,” who sustained bullet injuries in their legs. The incident is the latest in an ongoing trend of violent attacks against predominantly Muslim cattle traders by law enforcement. Over the last month, multiple instances of injuries and the death of a Muslim man have occurred due to police firing.
