Muslim man’s home destroyed by Hindu militants over fake news
The house of a Muslim man was attacked and destroyed by a members of the Hindu paramilitary group, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), after the man’s photo and identity were falsely aired by a news channel labeling him as the kidnapper of a minor in Kerala state
The fake news that prompted the attack was aired by a TV news channel owned by Hindu religious leader Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi.
Newly elected BJP lawmaker in Rajasthan orders closure of Muslim-owned meat shops
Shortly after the far-right Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured its victory in Rajasthan state, Balmukund Acharya, a BJP lawmaker ordered the closure of all meat stalls run by Muslims in his constituency. A video shows him instructing the police to shut down non-vegetarian stalls and restaurants.
In the video, Acharya claims the shop owners are turning the area into the Pakistani city of Karachi, saying, “This is not Karachi, this is Kashi,” amidst chants of the Hindu militant warcry “Jai Sri Ram.”
School in Bihar orders Muslim women to remove hijabs inside classrooms
A government-run school in Bihar state ordered its Muslim students to take off their hijabs inside classrooms. A government official, Om Prakash Singh, backed the school’s order, saying “Wearing any type of veil inside classrooms cannot be allowed.” Family members of the Muslim girls have demanded that the school repeal the order.
Muslim doctor booked for content in his book allegedly critical of far-right BJP
Acting on the complaint of a far-right Hindu businessman, police have booked Dr. Kafeel Khan, a doctor previously incarcerated for criticizing the far-right BJP government in his book, “The Gorakhpur Hospital Tragedy: A Doctor’s Memoir of a Deadly Medical Crisis.”
Dr. Khan faced persecution by the Uttar Pradesh government after 70 children died in 2017 due to an oxygen shortage. Despite being hailed a hero for securing oxygen tanks with personal funds, he was arrested and jailed for seven months. Later, an investigation cleared him of wrongdoing. He was arrested again for a speech against anti-Muslim citizenship laws, and jailed for over seven months. The court later deemed his detention “illegal,” leading to his release.
Hindu extremist leaders call for nationwide ban of halal products
In Pune, Maharashtra, at an event organized by the extremist group Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS), extremist leader Ramesh Shinde peddled conspiracy theories about halal products and called for a nationwide ban.
In Mumbai, at another HJS event, Hindu supremacist leader Pushpendra Kulshrestha stoked hate and fear against Muslims. In Shamli, Uttar Pradesh, Hindu supremacist leader Pravin Togadia spread hate speech against Muslims.
