BEIJING: In recent days, major cities across India have witnessed massive Muslim demonstrations, demanding the arrest and punishment of the two members of India’s ruling Bhartia Janta Party (BJP) for using highly derogatory remarks and disrespecting the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
“This reflects not only the aspirations of the vast Muslim community in India, but also the aspirations of the entire Muslim world, and the Indian authorities, which have always advocated democracy, should respond positively,” Cheng Xizhong, Visiting Professor of Southwest University of Political Science and Law said on Sunday.
However, the Indian authorities have resorted to brutal measures against the unarmed protesting Muslims and used the security forces to suppress them. The Indian authorities have been going further and further along the path of wrong and crimes.
The international community should pay close attention to the atrocities committed by the Indian authorities and strongly condemn the disproportional use of security forces on Indian Muslim protestors, he added.
Prof. Cheng, who is also Senior Fellow of the Charhar Institute, noted that the use of security forces last Friday resulted in the martyrdom of two innocent Muslim protestors, critically injuring thirteen others, and unwarranted arrest of hundreds of peaceful Muslim demonstrators.
He opined that the suppression of Muslims on flimsy pretexts by Indian authorities with national security apparatus has highlighted the worsening trend of Islamophobia and Hindu extremism in India.
He said that India should immediately shun its Hindutva policies and stop targeting its minorities, hurting their religious sentiments, and put an end to rising incidents of violence and spreading of hate against Indian minorities, especially Muslims. Otherwise, the worsening ethnic contradictions and religious conflicts in India will lead to the final division of the country, Prof. Cheng concluded.