Two US Congress members to boycott Modi’s address citing human rights concerns
At least two progressive lawmakers said they would not attend Hindu supremacist Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s joint congressional address to protest numerous human rights violations in India.
Two Muslim Congresswomen, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, will boycott the event.
“It’s shameful that Modi has been given a platform at our nation’s capital—his long history of human rights abuses, anti-democratic actions, targeting Muslims & religious minorities, and censoring journalists is unacceptable. I will be boycotting Modi’s joint address to Congress,” tweeted Rashida Tlaib.
While declaring her boycott of the address, Omar said she would hold a briefing with human rights groups to discuss Modi’s record of repression and violence.
Meanwhile, in a letter signed by more than 70 members of the US Senate and House of Representatives, legislators called on the Biden administration to address human rights concerns in his talks with Modi.
The U.S. government’s Report on International Religious Freedom last year described how hate speech by officials in Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has contributed to anti-Muslim and anti-Christian violence and cataloged the party’s criminalization of religious conversion, the demolition of Muslim-owned properties, and arbitrary arrests and denial of bail for Muslim activists.
Dalit woman gang-raped, murdered in Rajasthan state
A 20-year-old Dalit woman was gang-raped and murdered in Rajasthan’s Bikaner district. Two policemen have been suspended for their suspected role in the horrific incident.
According to the police, the girl was found in an injured state with injury marks on her private parts. She was taken to the hospital, where she died.
However, the policemen have only been suspended for the brutal rape and murder, leading to outrage from the victim’s family. They have demanded that both the police officers be dismissed from their jobs.
Students forced to remove hijab to sit for exams in Hyderabad city
A college in Hyderabad City denied entry to Muslim students because they were wearing a hijab. The school also warned them that they cannot appear for exams until they took their hijabs off.
The incident took place at the K.V. Ranga Reddy Degree College for Women.
The students reported that when they refused to take their hijabs off, the school administration did not allow them to sit for their exams.
The students were forced to comply and were allowed to take the exam only after they removed their hijabs.
Recently, a Muslim student was forced to miss her university entrance exam in Delhi after she was not allowed to enter the exam hall while wearing a hijab.
