Hindu militants harass and assault Muslim men over bogus “love jihad” allegations
In Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Uttar Pradesh’s Raebareli, members of the notorious Hindu paramilitary group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) harassed and allegedly assaulted two Muslim men, accusing them of indulging in “love jihad” and indecent activities, and later handed them over to the police.
Police refuted the allegations after investigation and reported that the men had only been drinking beer and that the locals had forcefully recorded a video, trying to frame it as a case of “love jihad” due to personal rivalry.
College orders Muslim students to shave their beards
A group of Muslim students from Jammu and Kashmir have claimed that their college administration in Karnataka’s Hassan ordered them to trim or shave their beards.
The students said the college is enforcing “discriminatory grooming standards” that infringe on their cultural and religious rights. The students also claimed that the college threatened to mark them absent from clinical activities unless they shave or trim their beards.
Muslim students have reported similar discriminatory treatment in universities across India. In August, a Muslim student was expelled from a college in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly for having a beard.
Hindu militants demand demolition of newly built mosque in Uttar Pradesh
Members of the Hindu militant groups Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal protested against a newly built mosque in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh’s Banda and demanded its demolition.
They called for the arrest of those responsible for the construction and threatened to demolish the mosques themselves if authorities failed to demolish it.
BJP leader places saffron flags on Hindu-owned shops so customers buy from them
In the capital city of Delhi, BJP lawmaker Ravinder Singh Negi installed saffron flags on the carts of Hindu vegetable sellers and ordered them to display their names on their stalls, encouraging customers to only buy from Hindu vendors. He also ordered Muslim-owned meat shops to remain closed during celebrations of a Hindu festival.
Nine Christians arrested after Hindu extremists, police raid prayer meeting
In BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki, Hindu extremist leader Vijay Rawat joined police in raiding a Christian prayer meeting. Nine people were arrested over accusations of forcing Hindus to convert to Christianity.
Christians across states have been arrested under India’s draconian anti-conversion law, which criminalizes conversion away from Hinduism.
