Hindu militants vandalize Buddhist temple, harass monks
In BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun, Hindu militants from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bajrang Dal vandalized a Buddhist place of worship, claiming it was a Hindu site and accusing Buddhists of illegally occupying it. Buddhist monks living at the location also reported being harassed by the Hindu extremists and reported that the police had caved to the pressure, ordering the monks to vacate the premises immediately instead of protecting them.
Officials demolish several houses in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal
In the aftermath of anti-Muslim violence in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal , civic officials demolished several houses, calling them “illegal encroachments.” Muslim opposition leader Zia ur Rehman Barq also received a show-cause notice for allegedly constructing a house without approval.
Last month, police arrested at least 25 Muslims, booked around 2,500 people, shut down the internet, closed schools, and tightened security in Sambhal after five Muslim men were killed by police. The officers had fired on Muslims protesting a court-ordered survey of the historic Shahi Jama Mosque, a move demanded by Hindu supremacists to check for temple ruins underneath.
11 mosques face lawsuits by Hindu outfits challenging their religious status
According to an affidavit in the Supreme Court in a plea to uphold the constitutional validity of the Places of Worship Act (1991), 11 mosques in India are facing a total of 18 lawsuits from Hindu extremist groups claiming them to be temples. The law prevents the alteration of the religious character of all places of worship as they existed on August 15, 1947.
The Supreme Court of India directed courts across the country not to pass any effective orders or surveys against existing religious structures in suits disputing the religious character of such structures. Seven out of the 11 mosques are in Uttar Pradesh, with one each in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka and New Delhi.
Hindu extremists forcibly shut down meat shops in Madhya Pradesh
In BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, Hindu extremists forcibly shut down meat shops in a Hindu-majority locality, citing that the shops hurt their religious sentiments.
The crackdown aligns with increasing calls for economic exclusion of Muslims by Hindu extremist groups.
