Muslim cleric beaten to death inside mosque in Rajasthan
A group of three masked individuals beat the imam of a mosque to death in Rajasthan state. The imam, Maulana Mohammad Mahir, was sleeping in a room next to the mosque when the men stormed into the room and started beating him with a stick. Six children who were in the same room were also threatened by the perpetrators.
PM Modi continues anti-Muslim hate speech in election rallies across states
Despite being the subject of international news coverage for making hateful remarks about Indian Muslims, Hindu supremacist Prime Minister Narendra Modi has continued spreading anti-Muslim propaganda in his speeches. During his rallies in West Bengal, Bihar and Maharashtra, Modi claimed that India’s opposition party, if voted to power, would distribute the nation’s wealth among Muslims.
Last week, he called Muslims “infiltrators” – signifying that they do not belong in India – and claimed that they “have more children”, a false Hindu supremacist conspiracy that claims Muslim population growth is replacing Hindus.
BJP Muslim leader arrested, expelled for criticizing Modi’s hate speech
Usman Ghani, a Muslim leader from the far-right Bharatiya Janata Party was arrested and expelled by the party for criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hate speech against Muslims.
Ghani had criticized Modi for describing Muslim minorities in India as “infiltrators” and “those who have more children” while addressing an election rally.
Senior BJP ministers repeat Modi’s anti-Muslim rhetoric, call for taking over mosques
During election rallies across Madhya Pradesh, federal minister Amit Shah repeated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s anti-Muslim and Hindu supremacist talking points by saying that the Opposition party, if voted to power, would redistribute the nation’s wealth among Muslims.
In rallies across Uttar Pradesh, Hindu militant monk and state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath made similar claims and referred to Muslims as “Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltrators”. He further declared that the far-right BJP would facilitate the taking over of the historic Shahi Idgah mosque.
BJP leaders peddle anti-Muslim conspiracy theories ahead of elections
With India’s general elections approaching, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politicians have ramped up anti-Muslim hate speech during election rallies to win Hindu votes. In Banaskantha, Gujarat, BJP leader C.R. Patil made Islamophobic remarks.
“These people have no business other than producing children,” he said.
In Anand, Gujarat, hate speech delivered during a BJP election rally falsely claimed that India’s Muslim population has increased to 26% as opposed to 14%. The speaker also called Muslims “unpatriotic” and declared that they were undeserving of living in India.
In Ranchi, Jharkhand, BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo promoted anti-Muslim conspiracy theories of love jihad and land jihad. In Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, BJP leader Anurag Singh Thakur delivered multiple communal speeches at election rallies.
Police open fire at five alleged “cattle smugglers,” victims sustain bullet wounds
In separate incidents in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh’s Kairana, Jalaun, and Sambhal, police fired gunshots at five 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. Multiple such injuries have occurred on a near-weekly basis due to police firing.
