Uttarakhand To Implement Uniform Civil Code, Trampling Minorities’ Personal Religious Laws
The government of Uttarakhand state has declared that it will implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), which mandates the formulation of one common law that all communities would be forced to adhere to in personal matters such as marriage, divorce, and inheritance, regardless of their religious practice.
Uttarakhand would be the first state to implement the UCC, which has long been championed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Currently, there are different laws for different faiths, including the Hindu Marriage Act, Indian Christian Marriages Act, and the Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act. Muslim personal laws are based on religious texts and are not codified.
Implementing the UCC is a violation of freedom of religion and an invasion in the private lives of citizens, particularly Muslims and Christians, who are already severely marginalized in India. Far from being a step towards progressiveness, the UCC is another avenue for Hindu supremacists to attack and prosecute Muslims and Christians for practicing their faith in their private lives.
Karnataka Ministers Praise Paramilitary RSS, Make Anti-Minority Comments During State Assembly
Several Karnataka ministers made comments praising the paramilitary Hindu supremacist group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which is the umbrella organization of the BJP and other Hindu extremist groups.
“Our country’s president, vice president, prime minister, [several] chief ministers are all from RSS. Everyone has to accept it now… it is our good fortune,” said Revenue Minister R. Ashoka, openly implying that it is normal and praiseworthy to be part of a hate group that encourages violence against minorities.
“All Muslims and Christians in the country, if not today, someday in the future, will become (associate with) the RSS. There is no doubt about it,” said senior BJP leader K.S. Eshwarappa.
Other politicians criticized this blatant support of hatred, with opposition leader Siddaramiah claiming that the RSS would establish “a society governed by the Manusmriti (Hindu religious text) and not the constitution.” He also declared that the BJP was carrying out “hate politics” with regards to the recent hijab ban, as well as the government’s attitude towards Hindu extremists who are killed versus minorities who are killed.
“Let the government give compensation of Rs 25 lakh to Bajrang Dal activist Harsha. But, what about Dinesh and Shamsheer Khan Pathan, both killed by [Hindu extremist] activists? The ruling BJP is not providing any compensation as one belong to Scheduled Tribe and another is a Muslim,” he said, pointing out the hypocrisy. He further added, “Jain women, Hindu women and even swamiji’s (religious leaders) cover their heads. Why should [Muslim women] not be allowed?”
The RSS’s founders were open supporters of ethno-fascism in Europe, and advocated for India to be turned into a Hindu nation rather than a secular democracy.
Daughter Of Murdered Progressive Writer Identifies 2 Hindu Extremists As Killers
The daughter of progressive Kannada scholar and writer M. M. Kalburgi, who was shot dead in 2015, identified Hindu extremist Ganesh Miskin as her father’s murderer and Praveen Chatur as his accomplice. Miskin and Chatur are both linked with Hindu supremacist groups and have been accused of violence in the past; Miskin is accused of being involved in the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh as retribution for her criticism of Hindu extremism.
Kannada scholar M M Kalburgi was shot outside his house in Dharwad on August 30, 2015. (File)
A further probe revealed that the gun used to kill Kalburgi was also the murder weapon used to kill progressive thinker Govind Pansare, revealing that Miskin has links to the deaths of other critics of Hindu extremism.
Hindu extremists are often encouraged to inflict violence on minorities as well as those who criticize Hindu supremacism as an ideology. Senior BJP leaders are responsible for popularizing slogans such as “shoot the traitors to the nation,” referring to minorities and anyone else who dissents against Prime Minister Modi and his Hindu supremacist agenda.
