Modi’s India: Muslims Under Siege Again
Religious tensions in Nagpur, Maharashtra, intensified after a rumor spread that the Quran had been desecrated during a protest by the extremist Hindu organization Bajrang Dal.
Following the incident, Hindu-Muslim riots broke out in different parts of the city, with dozens of people reported to have been injured.
According to Indian media reports, Bajrang Dal workers staged a demonstration demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb, after which news of the Quran burning spread.
As a result, Muslims took to the streets in large numbers in the city’s palace, Kotwali, Ganesh Peeth, and Chattanews Park areas.
According to the Hindustan Times, riots broke out at several places in Nagpur, while the police had to deploy additional personnel to control the situation.
The Observer Post reported that tensions further escalated after the Bajrang Dal protest near the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the palace.
A formal complaint was filed by Muslims against the desecration of the Quran at the Ganesh Peth police station, after which the police started an investigation.
However, the situation remains tense, and security in the city has been tightened to deal with any untoward incident.
Attacks on fundamental rights of Muslims, experts express concern
Social experts have expressed deep concern over the growing trend of “Islamophobia” in India.
They say that Narendra Modi’s extremist government has made Indian Muslims second-class citizens, and religious extremism enjoys state patronage.
According to experts, the martyrdom of mosques, destruction of Muslim properties, and deprivation of their rights are becoming common in India, which makes it clear that the Indian government is running a systematic agenda against Muslims.
International human rights organizations need to raise their voice urgently on the atrocities being committed against Muslims in India so that these ongoing atrocities against religious minorities can be stopped.
