Poonam Kaushal Uttar Pradesh “He always dreamt of seeing himself in Indian Army uniform, he wanted to be a Lieutenant. ‘How would I look in uniform,’ he would ask. I would ask him to tone it down, lest an evil eye may spoil it. My brother was influenced by the evil eyes of the mob.” Babli Chaudhry remembers her younger …
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Religious freedom activists from across the U.S. have criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his failure to stop the violence carried out by Hindutva groups against religious minorities, including Muslims and Christians. At an event titled “Religious Freedom in India: A Briefing on Capitol Hill”, organized by the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) on the Capitol Hill …
Over 200 alleged hate crimes in 2017 in India, reveals ‘Halt the hate’ website In 2017, an alarming number of alleged hate crimes – including assault, rape and murder – were reported against people from marginalized groups, especially Dalits and Muslims, said Amnesty International India today, as it launched an interactive data website, ‘Halt the Hate’. “The first step to …
Hapur (UP): Nineteen-year-old Anas, whose father survived a mob attack two months ago in which another man died, is still trying to find his bearings and resume a normal life. At his home in Madapur village, a little over 50 km from the national capital, Anas looks at his mother and then at the firewood ‘chulha’. It’s half past 6 in …
Watching the abject horror of 28-year-old Rakbar Khan’s murder unfold in Rajasthan’s Alwar district, a year after a murderous mob of cow vigilantes bludgeoned Pehlu Khan to death, many would find it disconcerting and disheartening that it was left to the Supreme Court to point to the culture of violent intolerance that is rapidly enveloping India’s hinterland. The past three …
By Nazneen Mohsina The recent episode of mob lynching in Rajasthan has reopened the festering wounds of rising religious violence in India. Majoritarian fundamentalism and violations to freedom of religion continue to increase in India, posing a threat to its strong tradition of religious diversity, mutual respect for religion and co-existence. On July 20, cow vigilantes in Rajasthan’s Alwar district attacked …
BY: Ashutosh Mishra Image for representation When the Supreme Court of India had to ask the Centre to frame a law to end mob lynching, it was clear that somewhere the authorities concerned or the people responsible were not doing their job. Hapur mob lynching victim, Qasim, was seen being dragged by the mob in the presence of police. Rakbar …
by Taboola As outrage rises over cow-related lynchings, the government has responded by appointing a high-level committee to study the growing menace. They have also issued an advisory asking states to rein in the violence, the second in a month. These generic measures have been received with skepticism, all the more given the ruling establishment’s ambiguous response to cow …
By Barkha DuttJuly 24Email the author There is a repugnant euphemism that has entered the lexicon of Indian prime-time television lately. “Cow vigilantes” has become contemporary shorthand for murderous right-wing mobs who kill Muslims simply for being Muslim. They shelter behind the misleading respectability of the euphemism. For us in the media to use the word “vigilantism” to describe hate crimes against …
By ANGSHUMAN CHOUDHURY July 20 was a rather strange day for India’s democracy. On the one hand, the Lok Sabha, lower house of the federal parliament, in a long and unusually eventful session, debated a no-confidence motion brought by the opposition parties against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government with much gusto. It was a high-voltage session – peppered with plenty …
