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At least 300 cases of communal violence in 4 months: Home Ministry

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muzafarnagar-riots

New Delhi: In the past four months, India has witnessed at least 300 incidents of communal violence, 75 every month, where 35 people were killed, according to Home Ministry data.

In the entire year till October, 630 incidents were reported and 86 persons lost their lives. It is also suspected that many incidents of communal violence and attacks on minorities were not recorded by the ministry.

The data do not show any spike in incidents under the NDA government. In 2013, when the UPA was in power, 823 such incidents were reported and in 2014 the figure stood at 644, the NDA came to power on May 26, 2014.

(Agencies)

Communal clashes erupts in Madhya Pradesh during ‘vjiay juloos’

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vjiay juloos

Indore: An indefinite curfew has been clamped in Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone city after overnight clashes between two communities during a religious procession injured over two dozen people including police personnel.

 

Police lobbed tear gas shells and canned rioters after several houses and vehicles were set ablaze during the violence on Thursday night during the ‘vijay juloos’ (victory procession) which followed the Dussehra celebrations.

The Hindu festivities coincided with the Muharram procession of the Muslims this year.

Sources said differences over the same route taken by members of the two communities triggered the clashes, shattering a fragile peace in the midst of a surcharged atmosphere in many parts of the country.

The Khargone additional superintend of police (ASP) and three other security personnel were injured when rioters pelted stones during the clashes which spread to several localities of the city.

“Extra police forces have been deployed to prevent any untoward incident in the future,” said Dilip Arya, the Khargone deputy inspector general of police.

Police said that the clashes started when some people allegedly pelted stones on the ‘victory procession’ near a popular cinema hall in the heart of the city. This turned into full-fledged clashes as the other group retaliated.

The violence spread to several other localities — Sanjay Nagar, Tevedi, Goshala Marg, Talaab Chauk – where houses and vehicles were set ablaze.  Police said that several families of a community fled their homes as the arson spread.

(Agencies)

Curfew imposed in Jamshedpur after clashes

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Jamshedpur-riots

Ranchi: A curfew has been imposed in Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur city, the home town of Chief Minister Raghubar Das, after two communities clashed over the alleged harassment of a girl, police said on Wednesday.

The curfew was imposed on Tuesday night. Trouble started on Monday evening when a girl of one community was allegedly harassed by boys of another community. The incident took place near Gandhi maidan area of city.

A mob burnt tyres following which members of the two communities clashed. Police said both the communities resorted to violence at many places and burnt vehicles.

On Monday, prohibitory orders were imposed. But as the situation continued to be tense, authorities imposed a curfew in many parts of the district.

More than 100 people have been arrested so far.

Das has set up a two-member committee to probe the incident and appealed to the people to maintain calm.

(IANS)

Documenting hate and communal violence under the Modi regime

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Photos: Gufran Khan

Photos: Gufran Khan

by John Dayal

The rape of a 70 year old Nun in West Bengal in an attack on a convent and school in February 2015 sent shock waves throughout India, and the world. “Protect not just Cows, but human beings also,” said Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference. At least 43 deaths in over 600 cases of violence, 149 targeting Christians and the rest Muslims, have taken place in 2014 in India till March this year, marking 300 days of the National Development Alliance government of Mr. Narendra Modi. The number of dead is other than the 108 killed in Assam in attacks by armed tribal political groups on Muslims. Desecration and destruction of churches, assault on pastors, illegal police detention of church workers, and denial of Constitutional rights of Freedom of Faith aggravate the coercion and terror unleashed in campaigns of Ghar Wapsi and cries of Love Jihad. Since May 2014, there has been a marked shift in public discourse. There has been a relentless foregrounding of communal identities, a ceaseless attempt to create a divide between ‘us’ and ‘them’. The BJP leaders guaranteed to abuse, ridicule and threaten minorities. Hate statements by Union and state ministers, threats by Members of Parliament, state politicians, and cadres in saffron caps or Khaki shorts resonate through the landscape. But most cases go unreported, unrecorded by police.

The Prime Minister refuses to reprimand his Cabinet colleagues, restrain the members of his party members or silence the Sangh Parivar which claims to have propelled him to power in New Delhi. Mr. Modi calls for a ten-year moratorium on communal and caste violence. His government soon declares Christmas to be a “Good Governance Day” in honour of the BJP leader and former Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee. There are fears at a severe whittling down of the 15 Point Programme for Minorities, a lifeline for many severely economic backward communities, and specially their youth seeking higher education and professional training. Anyway, Mr. Modi’s “assurance” to religious minorities is challenged and countered by Mr. Mohan Bhagwat, the head of the powerful Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, who asserts, repeatedly, that every Indian is a Hindu, and minorities will have to learn their place in
the country.Speaking at the 50th Anniversary of foundation of its religious wing, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Mr. Mohan Bhagwat, the RSS Sarsanghchalak bluntly stated that “Hindutva is the identity of India and it has the capacity to swallow other identities. We just need to restore those capacities.” In Cuttack, he asserted that India is a Hindu state and “citizens of Hindustan should be known as Hindus”. Sadhvi Prachi, a central minister, Members of Parliament Sakshi Maharaj and Adityanath are among those urging measures to check Muslims, including encouraging Hindu women to have from four to ten children each. In Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and other states, the terror, physical violence and social ostracizing of Dalit and Tribal Christians, in particular, continues.

The 300 days have also seen an assault on democratic structures, the education and knowledge system, Human Rights organizations and Rights Defenders and coercive action using the Intelligence Bureau and the systems if the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act and the Passport laws to crack down on NGOs working in areas of empowerment of the marginalized sections of society, including Dalits, Tribals, Fishermen and women, and issues of environment, climate, forests, land and water rights. This report is focused on issues of communally targeted violence and the politics of hate and divisiveness that emanates from a thesis of religious nationalism.

PDF - 1.6 Mb300 DAYS Documenting Hate and Communal Violence under the Modi Regime
(With inputs from Kiren Shaheen, Liris Thomas, Mansi Sharma, Shabnam Hashmi, Shahnaz Husain, Tehmina Arora, and Vijayesh Lal)

My government's only religion is 'India first', only religious book is Indian Constitution: PM Modi

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File photo

File photo

New Delhi: Breaking his silence in Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday denounced communalism and asserted that his government stood for unity wherein all religions prosper within the framework of the Constitution.

“My government’s only religion is ‘India first’, my government’s only religious book is ‘Indian Constitution’, our only devotion is ‘Bharat Bhakti’ and our only prayer is ‘welfare of all’,” he said in Lok Sabha while replying to a debate on President’s Address.

He declared that as the Prime Minister, it was his “responsibility” not to allow “anaap shanap (ridiculous) comments in the name of religion.

“Nobody has the right to discriminate on the basis of religion… “No one has the right to take law into his hands,” the Prime Minister said.

His statement assumes significance as the government has been under attack over certain communal remarks made by some BJP and Sangh Parivar leaders.

“Communalism for political reasons has destroyed the country. Hearts have been broken,” Modi said, asking why questions are being “posed to us”.

Insisting that “We want all religions to prosper”, the Prime Minister said it is possible only in India under its Constitution which has been prepared with the thinking of thousands of years of the country’s history.

“This nation full of diversity. We are for unity in diversity, not disunity. All religions should flourish. It is the uniqueness of India because of its Constitution,” he said.

“We want to take the nation forward within the framework of the Constitution,” Modi said, adding he saw only the “tricolor” and “no other colour”.

Recalling his election rally in Patna in October 2013 which was rocked by serial bomb blasts, Modi said he had then “asked who should Hindus fight with — with muslims or poverty? I had asked muslims, do you want to fight with hindus or poverty. We have fought enough. Now let us unite and fight against poverty.”

Referring to his slogan of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’, he said he sought the cooperation of the opposition also for the benefit of the country.

(PTI)

PFI clarifies on Shivamogga rally, blames Sangh Parivar for clashes

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(Representative image)

(Representative image)

Mangaluru: Popular Front of India (PFI) has issued a press statement clarifying on its recent Shivamogga rally and the subsequent clashes that resulted in the death of one person and injuries to some, and arrest of a few.

“We want to state the truth. With the help of a small group of media, communalists are trying to spread wrong news and the Sangh Parivar has been adding fuel to the fire,” the PFI media release states.

“Shivamogga convention which was scheduled for February 17 was postponed on account of Shivaratri festival and was held on February 19 instead. Around 15,000 people who participated in the procession rally were shouting slogans against communalists, anti-people policies of government and human rights violations. When the rally reached Gandhi Bazar, some Sangh Parivar activists started pelting stones and bottles. PFI volunteers tried to prevent people from getting incited. But when the stone-pelting continued, police resorted to lathi charge to control that but the participants of the rally were also targeted later without any warning. Police need to give explanation for the same.

“But the volunteers handled the situation well and the convention started peacefully at 6 pm. But during the convention goons from Sangh Parivar set fire to vehicles, shops and a house. Twelve persons were injured when stones were pelted at a mosque. The people who came from Chikkamagaluru, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada were targeted and in the ensuing clashes, 17 were injured and one person died. As many as 35 cars, three mini buses and nine buses were damaged. It is not yet certain as to who were involved in the clashes,” the statement reads.

“BJP leaders have influenced the police to arrest innocent Muslim youths. They wanted to target PFI leaders. Police have illegally arrested people from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru and other places. A similar type of convention was held on February 21 in Chamarajanagar which went on peacefully. Police also handled the situation well there. We request everyone to support us to counter anti-national elements. We also urge the state government to show no mercy to these anti social powers.

“We demand justice in the Shivamogga incident. There is no doubt that it was a pre-planned attack. The state government should not show any mercy to such forces. We will continue to fight against communal forces and we stand by the people affected by the incident.” the statement from PFI concludes.

India witnessed rise in communal violence under Modi government, says Amnesty

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Trilokpuri-riots

Human rights group Amnesty International today criticised the Narendra Modi-led government, saying under the new regime India has witnessed a rise in communal violence and its Land Acquisition Ordinance has put thousands of Indians at “risk” of forcible eviction.

In its Annual Report 2015, released here, Amnesty highlighted poll-related violence in the lead up to the May 2014 General Elections, communal clashes and failure of consultation on corporate projects as key concerns.

“National elections in May saw a government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party come to power with a landslide victory. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who campaigned on promises of good governance and development for all, made commitments to improve access to financial services and sanitation for people living in poverty.

“However, the government took steps towards reducing requirements to consult with communities affected by corporate-led projects,” Amnesty said in its report.

The report highlighted that, “the authorities continued to violate people’s rights to privacy and freedom of expression. There was a rise in communal violence in Uttar Pradesh and some other states and corruption, caste-based discrimination and caste violence remained pervasive.”

In reference to communal violence, it noted that, “A string of communally charged incidents in Uttar Pradesh prior to elections led to an increase in tensions between Hindu and Muslim communities…Politicians were accused of and in some cases criminally charged with making provocative speeches.”

“…In December, Hindu groups were accused of forcibly converting several Muslims and Christians to Hinduism,” the report said.

The rights body also went on to single out the Land Acquisition Ordinance for criticism as it described the move as a new “risk” to thousands of Indians.

“In December, the government passed a temporary law which removed requirements related to seeking the consent of affected communities and assessing social impact when state authorities acquired land for certain projects,” it said.

“Thousands of people remained at risk of being forcibly evicted from their homes and lands for large infrastructure projects. Particularly vulnerable were Adivasi communities living near new and expanding mines and dams,” it added .

While the group recognised “progressive legal reform”, it was critical of India’s “overburdened and under-funded criminal justice system”.

Amnesty pointed out two court orders as important “gains” for India in 2014, including a Bhopal court’s decision in November to demand that its criminal summons against the Dow Chemical Company to be re-issued and a “landmark judgement” by the Supreme Court in April granting legal recognition to transgender people.

(PTI)

Seven PFI activists taken into custody from Bantwal taluk for Shivamogga violence

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(Representative image)

(Representative image)

Bantwal: As many as seven activists of Popular front of Indian have been taken into custody in different parts of Bantwal taluk by the police in connection with post-PFI rally violence in Shivamogga.

At least two persons were killed and several injured in the aftermath of a communal clash that erupted after miscreants pelted stones at a PFI rally on February 19.

Police sources said that they picked up the PFI activists in Bantwal on Tuesday night after watching the video footage of PFI rally and the clashes.

A team of police from Shivamogga rural station searched for them for two days at Kelaginapete, Kalladka and Farangipet in the taluk, it is learnt.

According to police, around 60 PFI activists from Bantwal were present during the clashes in Shivamogga.

The arrested accused are Muhammed Mushar (21), son of Pakeer Saheb from Posat in M Kody Kundapur, Asheed Ahmed (32), son of K A Hussain from Posat in M Kody, who is an interior designer by profession, as well as Arshad Ahmed (27), son of K Ibrahim, and Muhammed Hanif (43) from the same village. They were arrested on Tuesday February 24.

(Agencies)

Shivamogga continues to be tense after communal clashes

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Firefighters trying to extinguish the flames aftera motorcycle was set on fire in Shivamogga on Thursday. Photo: Vaidya, The Hindu

Firefighters trying to extinguish the flames aftera motorcycle was set on fire in Shivamogga on Thursday. Photo: Vaidya, The Hindu

Shivamogga: A youth was killed and many others seriously injured in a violent incident that occurred on the outskirts of Shivamogga in the aftermath of communal clashes erupted between Hindu and Muslim groups during the unity march taken out by the cadres of Popular Front of India (PFI) on Thursday.

Sporadic incidents of stone pelting, burning of vehicles and car were reported from Shivamogga on Friday too.

A group of armed persons attacked three youths who were heading towards Shivamogga from Tirthahalli on a motorbike near Gajnur. Vishwanath Shetty (32), who was injured in the attack, died.

Amidst the turmoil the funeral procession of Shetty was carried out. The family members had decided to conduct his final rites at Rotary Crematorium. Accordingly when the funeral procession passed near Sagar Pravasi Mandir few people who were part of process entered into an argument with a bike rider. The argument resulted in a brawl and finally ended up with the man’s bike being burnt. As the procession advanced further few shops and push carts located on Kuvempu Nagar were also burnt by the miscreants. Stones were also pelted at Mahaveer Circle and prayer hall. Few men also tried to assault the cops who tried to stop the miscreants from creating further damage. As the situation went out of control the protesters were caned by the police men.

On Friday shops and business establishments located in Gandhi Bazaar, Nehru Road, B H Road, Durgi Gudi were forcibly closed by the policemen. Vehicular movement including auto rickshaws and government run buses was minimal. The city which remained calm until 11 in the morning witnessed stone pelting incidents again. While few miscreants pelted stones at a lorry parked in Vinobha Nagar few others torched a bike parked in Kumbaragundi. Efforts were also made to burn a bike in Gandhi Bazaar. Policemen had to then resort to lathicharge in order to bring the situation under control.

The situation worsened to the extent that Tumkur District Superintendent Raman Gupta and In-charge Superintendent of Police S S Naik and other policemen were hurt in the incident.

On Friday when the hospital which had conducted the autopsy of Vishwanath Shetty went to his house to hand over the body, his relatives refused to accept it as they demanded compensation and also wanted the Deputy Commissioner to visit the house. Upon receiving information District In-charge Minister Kimmane Rathnakar arrived at the spot and declared a compensation of Rs 10 lac and a cheque of Rs 2 lac was also given to the family members on the spot.

Hindu organisations have called for an Shivamogga bundh on Saturday, February 21, as mark of protest. Following which holiday has been declared in schools and colleges.

Prohibitory orders have been clamped till February 25 and heavy police reinforcement have been posted in strategic places to prevent any untoward incidents.

So far 50 people have been arrested.

(Agencies)

Sangh Parivar trying to destabilize Congress govt by spreading violence: PFI

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(Representative image)

(Representative image)

Mangaluru: Rejecting the allegations made by Sangh Parivar and pro-Sangh Parivar media that pro-Pakistan slogans were raised during a rally in Shivamogga as a ‘pack of lies’, the Popular Front of India has demanded a thorough probe into the violence that caused widespread damages.

In a press statement issued here, the PFI held Sangh Parivar fully responsible for the communal violence that erupted in Shivamogga on Thursday during a unity march organized by the PFI.

The release stated that even though the PFI had decided to organize unity march on February 17 in Shivamogga, later it was decided to postpone to February 19 as mark of respect towards Hindus, who were celebrating Mahashivaratri on February 17.

It said that a group of miscreants attacked and assaulted PFI activists during the peaceful rally. Several PFI cadres were brutally assaulted and injured. In the violence that ensued, several shops and vehicles were also torched by the mob.

It further states that few communal forces unable to stand the empowerment of minorities, Dalits and other oppressed classes in the country, were trying to taint the name of the organisation since a long time.

The recent Nandita suicide case in Thirthahalli is proof that these communal forces are trying to spark communal violence in several parts of Karnataka as a means of attempting to destabilize the Congress government in the state. Having failed at this, these forces are repeatedly targeting minorities and minority organisations, states the release.

The PFI has also demanded a separate investigation into the murder of Vishwanath (32) on the outskirts of city of Shivamogga in the aftermath of the clash.

It said that stringent action should be taken against the culprits who made a deliberate attempt to disrupt peace in the society by carrying out an attack on PFI rally.

(Agencies)

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