Politicians affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party have come under scrutiny for their role in stoking anti-Muslim sentiments.
Team Clarion
MUMBAI – The throbbing city of Mumbai in Maharashtra is grappling with a surge in hate-driven incidents. Multiple reports of hate crimes targeting Muslims have come to light after the communal flareup witnessed in the Mira Road area of the city over a fortnight ago.
The communal frenzy began in the final week of January when Mira Road was plunged into chaos. Scores of motorcycle-borne Hindu youths, brandishing lathis and trishuls (tridents), created a ruckus in close vicinity of several mosques, instilling fear among residents.
The marauding mob indulged in violence targeting Muslim-owned establishments and vehicles. Stone-pelting, brawls, and even arson ensued, leaving a trail of destruction. Shockingly, reports indicated a disproportionate police response, with predominantly Muslim youths facing stringent legal action while Hindus faced minor charges.
In subsequent incidents across Mumbai, a similar pattern of harassment and intimidation against Muslims unfolded. A family in Chembur was allegedly coerced into chanting religious slogans by a right-wing mob at Panvel railway station. Similarly, a Muslim man near Mira Road was accosted by a mob and was compelled to chant Hindu slogans under duress.
Disturbingly, a separate incident in Byculla saw two Muslim youths brutally attacked and forced to chant religious slogans, with videos of the assault circulating widely on social media.
Politicians affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have come under scrutiny for their role in stoking anti-Muslim sentiments. During the turmoil in Mira Road, local MLAs Geeta Jain and Nitish Rane allegedly led Hindutva rallies in affected areas, with Rane making incendiary statements promising consequences akin to the violence in Mira Road. His inflammatory rhetoric continued at a rally in Shivaji Nagar, where he advocated removal of “illegal” mosques and madrasas, threatening to replicate the bulldozing seen in Mira Road.
The escalating communal tensions in Maharashtra, underscored by a surge in Hindutva rallies and calls for economic boycott of Muslims, present a grave concern. Despite attempts by the BJP to distance itself from such events, the presence of party members at these rallies raises questions about their complicity in communal polarisation.
As Mumbai, the financial hub of India, grapples with rising communalism, urgent measures are needed to address the root causes of hate-driven violence and safeguard the metropolis’ communal harmony.
