Daily Times

Theoretically, the Indian constitution safeguards the rights of minorities, but in practice, the ideology of Hindutva and Hindu nationalism prevails today

India’s extremist Prime Minister Narendra’s Modi’s new anti-Muslim moves-the continued lockdown of the Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK) after abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir by revoking articles 35A and 370 of the constitution on August 5, 2019, in a malevolent attempt to turn Muslim majority into minority in the IoK; the Indian Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 (CAA), passed by Indian parliament’ encouragement of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), including other Hindu fundamentalist outfits, to target the religious minorities, particularly Muslims; and acceleration of assaults on the Muslims-have clearly proved that he had led the genocide of Muslims in 2002.

The protests that started against the anti-Muslim controversial citizenship law have taken on communal overtones. Clashes broke out on February 23 between protesters for and against the citizenship law. In New Delhi, Hindu extremists of RSS and BJP have killed more than 30 Muslims. They have burnt properties of Muslims, including their vehicles and mosques.

The CAA coupled with the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is mainly against Muslim immigrants, especially from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Besides other religious minorities, it strips 200 million Indian Muslims of their citizenship. Since December 15, 2019, daily mass demonstrations, marches and rallies have been taking place across almost every state in India, demanding that the CAA be withdrawn along with the NRC. Despite criticism of rights groups, foreign leaders, the UNO and moderate Hindus in the wake of violent protests that resulted in killing of more than 50 persons and injuring 300, mostly Muslims, by police and Hindu fanatics, the Modi-led regime has not withdrawn the CAA/NRC.

The Human Rights Watch in 2002 and Amnesty International in 2003 charged the “Gujarat state administration” for involvement in “a massive cover-up of the state’s role in that massacre.” They pointed out that numerous police officials, ministers, high officials and leaders of fundamentalist parties such as RSS, VHP, BJP and Bajrang Dal were participants in the massacre

In the general elections of 2019, the BJP won a huge majority in the Lok Sabha, bagging 21 seats more than it won in the 2014 elections. During the election campaign, the Hindu majority was mobilised on “hate Muslim” slogans and anti-Pakistan jargon. Prime Minister Modi’s extremist party BJP also got a land slide triumph in 2014 on the basis of anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistan slogans.

After elections 2019, news reports have highlighted different cases in which Dalits and Muslims were violently targeted for reasons as varied as allegedly possessing beef, protesting against caste-based discrimination or for simply being Muslim. Various incidents of arrests, violent assaults and killings of Muslims and persons of other religious communities by fanatic Hindus have been recorded. Indian police is also being used by Indian rulers in this regard.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat stated on October 8, 2019: “Bharat is Hindu Rashtra and all Bharatiyas are Hindus.”

These anti-Muslim moves have, unquestionably, exposed Modi’s extremist approach against Muslims. More than 2,500 Muslims were massacred at the end of February 2002 in the BJP-ruled Indian state of Gujarat. The 2002 Gujarat riots were a three-day period of communal violence in the Indian state of Gujarat by extremist Hindus under the guidance and command ofPrime Minister Narendra Modi who was then chief Minister of Gujarat and the alleged mastermind of the genocide of Muslims. In the BJP-ruled Gujarat, horrible scenes of arson, mutilation and rape against unarmed Muslims were witnessed.

The Human Rights Watch in 2002 and Amnesty International in 2003 charged the “Gujarat state administration” for involvement in “a massive cover-up of the state’s role in that massacre.” They pointed out that numerous police officials, ministers, high officials and leaders of fundamentalist parties such as RSS, VHP, BJP and Bajrang Dal were participants in the massacre.

Rana Ayyub in her book, Gujarat files: Anatomy of a Cover-up, Manoj Mitha in The Fiction of Fact Finding, and Sreekumar in Gujarat behind the Curtain have proved Modi’s involvement in the genocide of Muslims in Gujarat.

An open letter published in The Guardian on April 10, 2014, pointed out that even the most well-respected international intellectuals of India held Modi as the main culprit behind the massacre of Muslims in Gujarat.

Following the Gujarat riots in 2002 and state’s collusion, the US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) established that the then Gujarat chief minister Modi was linked to communal riots in a significant way. It also pointed to Modi’s ministerial colleague Maya Kodnani’s full involvement in the massacre of Muslims. Following its findings, the commission recommended a US visa ban for Modi.

A report of the British High Commission in India said that the 2002 pogrom in Gujarat in 2002 “had all the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing, and reconciliation between Hindus and Muslims is impossible, while Chief Minister Modi remains in power…Far from being spontaneous, this massacre was planned, possibly months in advance, carried out by extremist Hindu organisations with the support of the state government headed by Modi.”

Various investigations failed to show the real culprits of Hindu terrorism in Gujarat, as they were high officials or police officers of Indian government. Therefore, the Supreme Court of India ordered a fresh probe on March 25, 2008, but that also remains inconclusive due to concealment of evidence against the culprits who were members of the dominant political parties of the country. Since Modi became prime minister, covert interference of his government and those of fundamentalist parties like BJP and RSS in the investigations of Gujarat riots have kept the case on the backburner.

Despite eyewitness testimony, implicating the highest elected political officials, justice continues to evade the victims. In the recent past, 70 accused persons of the Gujarat pogrom were set free by the court. On January 28, 2020, the Supreme Court granted bail to 14 convicts of the 2002 Gujarat riots, thus giving a clean chit to Modi.

It is noteworthy that the US government had denied visa to Modi on the basis of his involvement in the Gujarat pogrom. However, after he became India’s prime minister, the stance of American government changed in his favour. It shows US’s double standards

Theoretically, the Indian constitution safeguards the rights of minorities, but in practice, the ideology of Hindutva and Hindu nationalism prevails today. The Hindu majority led by the BJP has shown complete disregard to that and commit excesses and cruelties against Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and Dalits with impunity.

India’s politics and culture are dominated by extremist parties such as BJP, VHP, Shiv Sena and RSS, all of which propagate Hindutva. Modi, the then chief minister of Gujarat, reportedly, destroyed all the documents related to the 2002 genocide of Muslims. Keeping Modi’s past and present record, it can be forecasted easily that if Modi remains in power, minorities in India will face further persecution and barbarity at the hands of extremists, and more incidents of Gujarat-like massacres will take place.

The writeris a columnist on international affairs and is the author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants