Indian Group Takes Bulldozer Politics to Top Court
India's largest socio-religious Muslim organisation has appealed to Supreme Court to bar the Hindu right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled states from demolishing the homes of Muslims, accused by the authorities of participating in violent incidents.
Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind in a statement said the organisation has filed a petition in the court "against the dangerous politics of bulldozers that have been started to destroy minorities, especially Muslims, under the guise of crime prevention in BJP-ruled states."
The decision comes after the government in Madhya Pradesh state demolished dozens of homes and shops of many Muslims after they were accused of pelting stones at a Hindu procession. A similar action was reported in Gujarat state.
Communal violence broke out in several Indian states recently during the Hindu festival.
In its plea, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind has urged the court to issue instructions "that ministers, legislators, and anybody unconnected with the criminal investigation to be restrained from apportioning criminal responsibility regarding criminal action publicly or through any official communication until a determination by a criminal court."
Collective punishment
In its statement, it also said it has filed the petition online and a request for an early hearing on the petition "may be made to the Chief Justice of India in the next few days."
"The petition makes the central government as well as the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat respondents, where Muslims have been abused in recent days," it said.
In Khargone, a city in the central Madhya Pradesh state, "provocative slogans were allegedly raised near a mosque during Ram Navami celebrations, which led to a riot, stone-pelting and violence," the Amnesty International said last week.
Officials soon claimed they had identified the rioters and that the "damages will be recovered from (their) private or public property."
Authorities then proceeded to demolish several properties and houses, most of them belonging to "economically disadvantaged Muslim families," the statement added.
Steep rise in Islamophobia
India has witnessed a steep rise in hate speech and anti-Muslim actions since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling BJP rose to power in 2014.
In recent months, Muslim students have been targeted for wearing Islamic headscarves, right-wing allies have sought a ban on Halal meat, and Muslim fruit vendors have been beaten up and prohibited to do business.
During a Hindu festival last week, Hindu mobs pelted stones on mosques in several areas while DJs played loud music outside the mosques as worshippers prayed.
Hindu monks known for their incendiary anti-Muslim rhetoric have been calling for ethnic cleansing of some 200 million Indian Muslims.
Top leaders of India's opposition political parties expressed concern on Saturday over the rise in hate speech incidents in the country and also condemned recent communal violence across several states.
Source: TRT World
