Govt Not Interested in Stopping Lynch Mobs; Need Collective Efforts to Check Violence: Muslim Leaders

Waquar Hasan | Caravan Daily

NEW DELHI – The gruesome lynching of 24-year-old Tabrez Ansari in Jharkhand, and a series of hate crimes against Muslims in the name of cow across the country have set off a debate on the fate of Indian Muslims under the Narendra Modi government. Ever since he became the Prime Minister of India in 2014, crimes of these sort have witnessed a steep rise.

Since the new NDA government came to power after registering a landslide victory in the 2014 elections, the attacks on Muslims in the name of religion have been a regular feature, according to Muslim leaders. These incidents have been completely unchecked because the government does not want to stop them, they said urging Muslim organisations and activists to exert collective efforts to deal with the situation.

Asaduddin Owaisi, the outspoken Hyderabad MP and President of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), said that these incidents are not going to stop because the ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, and its parent organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh have long pursued an agenda of spreading hatred against Muslims.

“The BJP and RSS have increased a sense of hatred against Muslims. They have successfully created a mindset where Muslims are seen as terrorists, anti-nationals and cow slaughterers,” said Owaisi, reacting to the lynching of 22 year old Tabrez Ansari.

Ansari was beaten for nearly 12 hours and forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in the Saraikela Kharsawanand district of Jharkhand.

Dr SQR Ilyas, National President of the Welfare Party of India, said that the perpetrators of these crimes are enjoying a kind of tacit support from BJP governments. If the government wanted, it could have stopped such attacks very easily.

“The Muslims should raise their voices at every level against these incidents wherever possible. They should file an application with the National Human Rights Commission. A joint delegation of Muslims should meet the government at Centre and in the state. They should also hold Press conferences over these incidents and make it clear that if governments talk about ‘Sab ka saath sab ka vikas’, then it should be visible in the action on the ground. Every Muslim organisation should say it jointly and unitedly and that if these incidents continue to happen, we will have no trust in this government”, said Ilyas.

The Chairman of the Delhi Minority Commission Dr Zafarul Islam Khan also concurred with the view that the BJP government is not serious about stopping these hate crimes against Muslims.

“These attacks were stopped during the elections. But when the election got over, it has started happening again. These are all pre-planned and someone is definitely orchestrating these attacks. The continued happenings and no action against the perpetrators are a clear evidence of the fact,” he said.

Dr Khan added: “Moreover, no justice has been meted out in these incidents so far. On the contrary, cases are filed against the victims themselves. This kind of justice happens only in India with regard to almost every case of lynching.”

He further called for the community leaders to approach the Supreme Court to complain against these incidents. But when reminded of the Supreme Court’s earlier orders over lynching incidents, he had no answer to the question.