India is a secular democratic country, while Pakistan is an Islamic republic. But faith-based hatred on religion is undoubtedly on the rise in both countries. In India, the ideology of Hindutva has been undermining the rights of minorities for years now, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government does not even pretend to care.
Hindutva is a threat to the minorities in India, and it is spreading like wildfire. The BJP is known for its fascist manifesto. The Hindutva ideology was strengthened after the BJP assumed power. The last week of August 2021 ended on a bitter note for the Muslims of India. In Haryana, the Bilal Mosque was demolished by a BJP-RSS mob; Rakbar Khan was killed in July 2018; Umar Khan was shot dead in November 2017, and Pehlu Khan was lynched in public in April 2017. They were all killed in the name of cow which is considered sacred in the Hindu religion. These extremist groups stop, search and/or harm anyone they suspect to have consumed cow’s meat. Although they do not have any authority to do that, support from the government and police enables them to act freely. This is turning India into what in the world of cyber slang is called ‘Lynchistan’.
Mob lynching is an organised crime in India. It is usually supported and emboldened by the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The hypocrisy of the leaders of Hindutva extremist groups is clear; when the deed is done, these leaders congratulate those who commit such violence. It is crystal clear that these Indian politicians justify the crime and garland the criminals. They always deny that such incidents ever happen yet glorify the perpetrators of violence.
Over the last seven years, hundreds of Indians have been attacked, many killed. The majority of the victims are Muslims. According to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, radical cow protection or “gau rakhsha” groups in India have killed at least 44 people from 2015-2018, and these groups often received support from law enforcement and Hindu nationalist politicians. India, a country founded on the ideals of secularism and diversity, is becoming increasingly dangerous for its Muslim population.
Modi has benefited from the decades-long efforts of the RSS to radicalise society with the help of upper-caste Hindus. Modi has tried to acquire what Christophe Jaffrelot deemed as ‘worldly asceticism’. He believes that India is already transitioning from a ‘de facto Hindu Rashtra’ (Hindu nation) to an ‘authoritarian Hindu Raj’ (Hindu nation-state). In Modi’s government, radicalised charisma is above accountability. BJP has prepared the ground for authoritarianism.
Pakistan:
Although incidents pertaining to religious intolerance happen in Pakistan frequently, BJP hides its brutality by portraying Pakistan as a hell for minorities. On 4 August 2021, an incident happened in Rahimyar Khan, Punjab. An extremist mob attacked the Ganesh temple of Bhong over a dispute of blasphemy. An eight-year-old boy was arrested on charges of blasphemy for intentionally urinating on a carpet of Jamia’s library. After the day of the incident, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan stated via Twitter that he strongly condemned the attack. He directed the Inspector General of Punjab Police to ensure that all the culprits were arrested. Within a week, over 50 culprits got detained and the entire temple was restored and handed over to the Hindu community.
Incidents of religious violence were condemned in Pakistan much more widely as compared to India.
On 3rd December 2021, a 48 years old Sri Lankan man Priyantha Diyawadanage was brutally killed on allegations of blasphemy in Sialkot, Punjab. The mob killed him without letting him explain himself.
Cases of missing persons are also common among the Hindu minorities in the country. A Hindu citizen Rajkumar Malhi has been missing from Umerkot, Sindh for the last six months but could not be recovered by the police yet. According to the authorities, he was traced in Peshawar but is yet to be found. Priya Kumari, a 7-year-old girl is still missing as police could not find her after a complaint was registered on 20th August 2021 at Old Sukkur Police Station and Minister for Minority Affair assured them to find her in three days but the parents of Priya Kumari are still awaiting their child’s return.
Another complaint has recently been filed in Khairpur, Sindh where an 11-year-old innocent boy Kanha Kumar belonging to the Hindu community was kidnapped while on his way to the school. He was gang-raped, tortured and brutally murdered. Police have arrested two culprits identified as Inam Shah and Mudassar. The cases of forced conversions of underage Hindu/ Christian girls are also common and in most cases the culprits usually go unpunished.
India exploits this situation and portrays a negative image of Pakistan in front of the world, accusing the country of supporting forced conversions, but turns a blind eye to such violations taking place in its own cities. In Pakistan, such incidents of violence against the Hindu community are by and large condemned. But in India, the government encouraged violence against Muslims.
The government of India supports the violation of minorities’ rights despite India’s secular persona.
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