Hindu militant group pressures 16 Muslim businessmen to flee city
Last week, in Himachal Pradesh’s Nahan, a Hindu extremist mob violently attacked and looted a shop after its Muslim owner shared a picture of an animal sacrifice for Eid on WhatsApp.
After the incident, members of Hindu militant groups Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal pressured seven Muslim businessmen to leave within 24 hours, prompting an exodus of Muslim businessmen from Nahan, fearing for their safety and livelihoods. At least 16 Muslim businessmen were forced to leave due to the attack.
Armed Hindu extremist cow vigilantes raid village, attack Muslims
In Mewat, Haryana, cow vigilantes armed with guns raided a village and assaulted two Muslims men over accusations of cattle slaughter and selling beef. In Basti, Uttar Pradesh, Hindu militants from the Bajrang Dal attacked a rickshaw driver for allegedly carrying a bag of beef.
In Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, cow vigilantes harassed and assaulted two Muslim men for allegedly transporting cattle. In Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, Hindu extremist cow vigilantes beat two mini-truck drivers for allegedly transporting cattle.
Minors among 11 Muslims arrested for offering Eid prayers on roadside
Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar arrested 11 Muslims, including minors and elderly people, for offering Eid-ul-Adha prayers on an open ground. The local Muslim residents claimed that since they did not have a designated space for Eid prayers, they chose to pray outside – an act that has been criminalized by the Hindu supremacist state government.
In 2023, more than 2,000 people were booked for offering prayers on a roadside on Eid.
Two Muslim men booked under draconian law over alleged cow slaughter
The far-right Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Madhya Pradesh government invoked the draconian National Security Act (NSA) against two Muslim men accused of involvement in an alleged cow slaughter. The two men were sent to police custody while another, Irfan Mohammad, was arrested.
Speaking on the incident, state Chief Minister Mohan Yadav stated, “No crime against gau mata (mother cow) will be tolerated. CID ADG Pawan Shrivastava and his team have been assigned the job of carrying out a high-level probe into the barbaric killings.”
BJP-led governments and Hindu supremacist groups have been targeting Muslim men involved in animal sacrifices for Eid al-Adha. Governments arrest and jail these individuals, while right-wing mobs attack them publicly, sometimes vandalizing their shops and properties.
Hijab-wearing students not allowed to sit for government examinations
Two Muslim students – one of them from Jammu and Kashmir, the other from Uttar Pradesh – were barred from taking a government exam in Rajasthan’s Jaipur because they were wearing the hijab. Meanwhile, in Karnataka, another Muslim student was pressured to remove her hijab in order to take a National Eligibility Test.
