Weekly News Roundup – June 12, 2020
US State Department releases scathing report on Religious persecution of minorities in India
…In August the central government revoked the semiautonomous status of the Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir and split it into two union territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The revocation sparked protests, criticism from Muslim leaders, and challenges filed in the Supreme Court from opposition politicians, human rights activists, and others.… Seventeen civilians and three security personnel were killed during the protests. In December parliament passed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which accelerates citizenship for Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian migrants… , but not for similarly-situated migrants who are Muslims, Jews, atheists, or members of other faiths.… In their engagement with government officials, media, interfaith harmony organizations and NGOs, U.S. officials emphasized the need to address the legitimate concerns of the country’s religious minorities, condemn communal rhetoric, and ensure full protection of minorities as guaranteed under the constitution. In March the embassy organized a speaking tour by a U.S. religious harmony expert to the northern cities of Lucknow, Allahabad, and Varanasi.…Read more
…In recent times, there has been several reports pertaining to religious bias and now, screenshots of a purported conversation between the staff of a Rajasthan hospital has come under the police scanner.… According to an Indian Express report, the staff of a private hospital in Churu district had had a WhatsApp conversation about not treating Muslim patients. Allegedly, the individuals are associated with the Srichand Baradiya Rog Nidan Kendra in the Sardarshahar area of Rajasthan. One of the members of the group called ‘BARDIA RISE’ had vowed to not do X-rays for Muslim patients from the next day. The same individual had also urged others to stop attending to Muslim patients. The members also opined that since that only Muslims had tested positive in the Sardarshahar area, they should be attended to by a Muslim doctor.… “We should not say this, but they are terrorists. And we are providing them VIP treatment, providing them food… exhausting our resources on them,” Dr Aarti Lalchandani was heard saying in the clip.…Read more
In a development reminiscent of the Kairana exodus, over two hundred Muslim families of Taprana village in Shamli town in Muzzafarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh, have alleged that they were being persecuted for being a religious minority by the local police at the behest of the Yogi Adityanath government. They have threatened to leave the area where they were born, grew up and built their homes. Ever since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed the government in the state in 2017, and Yogi Adityanath assumed the office of Chief Minister, there has been a history of allegations of police discrimination .… Shamli has seen repeated incidents of harassment and alleged one-sided action by the police, inciting communal tensions, in clashes between Hindus and Muslims. The local Muslims have put up ‘for sale’ signs outside their houses, requesting people to buy the properties so that they could vacate them.…Read more
Communal Harmony
Aurangabad: Landlord waives of Rs 7.5 lakh rent of tenants
News
US State Department releases scathing report on Religious persecution of minorities in India
India’s George Floyd moment caught on cam: Cop assaults man while kneeling on his neck
How lives were destroyed under cover of lockdown in a small Indian town
Delhi Riot: Chronology in Charge Sheet Omits Kapil Mishra’s Speech
Sikh Alleges Assault & Communal Slur by UP Police, Inquiry Ordered
Odisha: Hindu Group Murders Christian Boy
Dalit Men Beaten, Paraded With Shoes Hung Around Their Neck in UP
Opinion
Indian Muslims facing ‘genocidal climate’ amid pandemic – Arundhati Roy with Daniela Bezzi
Mysterious ‘Ghost Informer’ Behind Delhi Riot FIRs; Truth Obviously The Casualty – By Mehmood Pracha
India’s migrant exodus foreshadows an economic crisis – By Murali Krishnan
Exclusion, affect, and violence in the many sites of Indian history – By Audrey Truschke
