Uttar Pradesh Police Beat Muslim Women For Holding Pro-Hijab Protest; Karnataka BJP Leaders Threaten Muslim Students

Police in Uttar Pradesh were caught on video beating Muslim women with batons and ripping the hijab off one woman in a brazen use of force to disperse the peaceful pro-hijab protesters, which the police dubbed an “anti-government” protest. The attack occurred after the protests against Hijab ban in Karnataka schools spread to multiple other Indian states, including Uttar Pradesh, where one student was verbally harassed by her professor for wearing the hijab and kicked out of the classroom.

In Karnataka, leaders of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have also ramped up threats against Muslim students who continue to wear the hijab in defiance of the High Court’s unconstitutional interim order, which imposes ban on hijab in schools. Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra implied that violence might be used against students who continue to wear hijabs to school.

“We adopted a soft approach all these days, it won’t be there anymore,” he said. “Till now, there was consideration not to hurt students… If this [court order] is violated, harsh action will be initiated immediately without any consideration.”

Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, also spewed anti-Muslim hate speech and misogynistic comments against Muslim women in an address. 

“You don’t follow the interim order of the court. What is this arrogance?” he said. “If anyone creates trouble in schools regarding hijab, police will take strict action and put them behind bars…. Are you trying to be extra constitutional? Which time are we living in? You want to cover the faces of girls?”

Meanwhile, Muslim students have been barred from entering schools while wearing the hijab. Several Muslim students have boycotted their classes or been forced to miss exams after refusing to remove their hijabs. 

Hindu Supremacist Leader Who Called For A War Against Muslims To Be Released Shortly From Judicial Custody

An Uttarakhand state court has ordered the release of Hindu extremist leader Yati Narsinghanand, who has been held in judicial custody for weeks after being arrested for delivering hate speeches calling for genocide of Muslims at a Hindu supremacist event in Haridwar city last December. Despite being a serious threat to security of religious minorities, Narsinghanand is now set to walk free and continue his genocidal campaign, calling for the mass slaughter of Muslims.The leader of a 400,000-strong group of Hindu ascetics, Narsinghanand was first booked for hate speech after the Haridwar event, where he and several other Hindu supremacist leaders repeatedly called for killing  2 million Muslims. He called for a “war against Muslims” and promised monetary rewards of up to one hundred million rupees for any young Hindus who were willing to fight.

Narsinghanand is also an associate of two openly anti-Muslim BJP leaders, Giriraj Singh and Kapil Mishra, who have also made hate speeches in the past. 

BJP Leader Threatens To Bulldoze Homes Of People Who Don’t Vote For Hindu Supremacist Leader Yogi Adityanath

Telangana state BJP leader Raja Singh threatened voters in Uttar Pradesh state as elections draw nearer, claiming that Chief Minister and vitriolic Hindu supremacist Yogi Adityanath will use “thousands of bulldozers” to attack “traitors” who do not vote for him in the upcoming elections.

“Thousands of bulldozers… have been bought by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath and they are on their way. After the elections, those who voted against Yogi – their areas will be identified. and I am sure you know what… bulldozers are used for,” he said, implying that those who voted for opposition parties would have their homes illegally demolished. 

Implying that Muslims and other minorities who do not vote for Adityanath are “traitors,” Singh added, “If you want to stay in UP, you will have to chant Yogi-Yogi. If not, you will have to run away from the state.”

These anti-minority threats go against the basic principles of any democratic nation, demonstrating how Modi and the BJP have compromised India’s democratic integrity for the sake of perpetuating Hindu supremacy. 

Hindu Extremists Attempt To Enter Taj Mahal And Chant Hindu Religious Slogans To Protest Hijab 

Members of CIA designated Hindu militant group, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) were arrested after an attempt to enter the Taj Mahal, India’s iconic Muslim-constructed landmark, while wearing saffron scarves and chanting a Hindu religious hymn in protest of hijab-wearing students in Karnataka state. 

“Every educational institute has its own dress code but some anti-social elements are trying to vitiate the atmosphere by holding a protest for hijab,” said local VHP leader Ashish Arya. He claimed that people of other faiths should also be allowed to wear their religious symbols in schools, ignoring the fact that Hindu deities, festivals, and prayers are already featured prominently in nearly all Indian public schools. 

Arya also claimed that the Muslim students were staging protests to incite tensions before state elections, despite the fact that school administrations in Karnataka had placed the unconstitutional ban to begin with. 

It is unlikely that Arya and the other extremists will be appropriately punished for their anti-Muslim protest.