IAMC Weekly News Digest, 29th October 2021

October 29, 2021

IAMC Weekly News Digest, 29th October 2021

The Indian Government is Fuelling Anti-Hindu Violence in Bangladesh – By CJ Werleman

Photo: BBC

Muslims in the north-eastern Indian state of Tripura, which shares a border with Bangladesh, have been under attack from radicalised Hindu nationalists for seven consecutive days, resulting in the fiery destruction of mosques and Muslim-owned businesses and homes, along with the displacement of hundreds of families. Several Muslim women filed police complaints, alleging that they had been sexually assaulted by right-wing Hindu men. The violence erupted after right-wing groups, including militant Hindutva organisations Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), held a series of rallies across the state last Tuesday to protest against recent attacks on the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh…. Worryingly, the Indian Government appears to be deliberately exacerbating tensions among Hindu communities in north-east India and Bangladesh by implementing policies that ‘other’ Muslims as a threat to Hindus and Hinduism – including the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), while chanting anti-Muslim slogans such as ‘Hindu khatre mein hain’ (‘Hindus are in danger’).…

Gujarat riots: Zakia Jafri says SIT ignored crucial evidence on Modi

Photo: IAMC Media Library

Zakia Jafri, wife of Gujarat Congress leader and 2002 riot victim Ehsan Jafri, on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that a special investigation team had ignored crucial evidence to give a clean chit to then chief minister Narendra Modi in the larger case of conspiracy. After absolving Modi of complicity in the riots as alleged by Zakia, the apex court-appointed SIT had filed a closure report in February 2012, which the trial court accepted in December 2013. Gujarat High Court upheld the decision in October 2017, and an aggrieved Zakia had approached the apex court. “There were several facts which the SIT did not look into while filing the closure report,” senior counsel Kapil Sibal, appearing for Zakia, told the bench of Justices A.M. Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and C.T. Ravi Kumar…. Sibal said some of the police messages had been destroyed. Sibal said the SIT had ignored the testimony of witnesses such as the then IPS officer Sanjeev Bhatt. Bhatt, who had accused Modi of directing the police to let Hindus “vent their anger”, was later dismissed from service and recently sentenced to a life term over a three-decade-old custody death…. Justice Khanwilkar said the court wanted to see the closure report accepted by the magistrate….

Muslim Cleric Allegedly Heckled, Forced to Chant Jai Shri Ram in Gurgaon, 2 Held

Photo: The Quint

Two people were arrested after a Muslim cleric was allegedly threatened and forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in Gurugram on 22 October over conducting Friday namaz at a nearby locality every week. The attack comes while Friday prayers by Muslims have been facing disruptions and interruptions at several location in Gurugram for the past few weeks by locals and right-wing groups. The alleged attack on the 40-year-old Imam Abdul Hasib Misbah took place around 11 pm in Sector 39 of Gurugram, the same day as Friday prayers were disrupted by protesters in the Sector 12 area against namaz being offered at an open space. “I was returning home after some personal work. A few men followed me and threatened me with my life if namaz was held in Sector 40. I started walking away but one of them held my hand and asked me to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram.’… According to the FIR filed, which was accessed by The Quint, Misbah was threatened by one Deepak Saini and Akash against conducting Friday prayers in Sector 40. Misbah, in the FIR, also stated that he fears for his family and that the accused followed him to his house even after they let him go….