Muslim men burnt to death by Hindu extremists on false suspicions of cow theft
In the latest case of brutal anti-Muslim mob violence, two Muslim men were kidnapped, lynched, and set ablaze by a mob of violent Hindu extremists in the Hindu supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Haryana state.
After they were missing for two days, the charred bodies of the two Muslim men – Junaid and Nasir – were found in a car on Thursday.
The family members say that they were killed by members of the Hindu extremist outfit Bajrang Dal over false suspicions of cow theft, and that Bajrang Dal leader Monu Manesar was behind the gruesome murder.
Earlier this month, a Muslim man named Waris was lynched to death in the same region by Hindu extremists for transporting a cow. His family, too, stated that he was lynched by Bajrang Dal extremists led by Manesar.
Manesar, who has been associated with the Bajrang Dal since 2013, has been involved in several instances of violent cow vigilantism.
Cow vigilantism, or Hindu mob violence against Muslims who transport or slaughter cows, has become dangerously commonplace in Hindu supremacist Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s India. Despite this alarming spike in violence, the federal government does not collect official statistics on the number of such crimes.
Search of BBC offices by Indian government ends after three-day raid
Indian tax officials have ended their 3-day long search of the BBC’s offices in New Delhi and Mumbai cities, while prominent publications across the world point out that the raids are retaliation for the BBC’s recently broadcasted documentary, which takes a critical look at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role in the 2002 anti-Muslim massacres in Gujarat state.
In an article, Time Magazine pointed out that it is not just the BBC that is being raided, but there are other Indian media organizations who faced similar crackdowns for carrying reports critical of the present Indian regime.
The New York Times (NYT) linked the raids to the BBC documentary and described government actions as “retaliatory.”
The Guardian also pointed out that the BBC is facing actions due to its critical documentary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The BBC is a trusted, independent media organization and we will stand by our colleagues and journalists who will continue to report without fear or favor,” the BBC said on the matter.
The authoritarian raids come just weeks after the Indian government used “emergency powers” to block the documentary from airing in the country, as part of a wider crackdown on all criticisms against Modi and the ruling BJP.
Amnesty accuses UK-based firm of gross human rights violations in Kashmir
Bulldozers from British construction equipment giant JCB are being used to commit “gross human rights violations” in Kashmir, renowned human rights group Amnesty International has said, as Narendra Modi’s government carries out a mass eviction drive in the valley.
Tensions are running high in several districts in Kashmir over the past several days, after Indian authorities demolished parts of homes, businesses and farmlands which falsely claim are encroaching on state land.
Activists and residents say that this is part of a larger attempt by the government to economically disempower Kashmiris and institute demographic change in the Muslim-majority region.
Amnesty International UK’s Economic Affairs director Peter Frankental said that the UK firm JCB, whose bulldozers were being used to dismember homes and businesses, “should be horrified that their equipment is being used in some of these demolitions” and called on the company to take “active steps to prevent this.”
The demolitions also follow a similar pattern of eviction and demolition tactics exercised by the Indian government in several parts of the country. Over the past year in particular, the Indian government has specifically targeted homes belonging to Muslims in several states over the same pretext of “illegal encroachments.”
