Communalism

250726-Pune  Threaten, Intimidate
A mob of 60-70 people entered the house of a Kargil war veteran's relative - Shamshad Sheik - in Chandan Nagar, Pune around midnight, called them Bangladeshis and demanded identity proofs. They threw stuff around, woke up the women and children and demanded Aadhar cards to be shown. The family showed Aadhar, PAN even VoterIDs but the mob inssted they were fake.The mob also threatened them. Policemen present did not stop the harassment. The family has had several members serve in the Indian army since 130 years.",Written complaint submitted to the DCP Chandan Nagar police station. The authorities have said that an FIR was in the process of being filed.   https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/mob-muslim-kargil-veterans-house-bangladeshi-citizenship-proof-10159567/  

250810-Vasai/Palghar Hate Speech
,Hate speech,"During an event of far-right influencer Kajal Hindustani, organisers clashed with police after officers entered the venue. The confrontation escalated into a scuffle before police were removed from the hall, allowing Hindustani’s address to continue uninterrupted. Large police deployment followed to maintain order.",,, https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNTBbadtlH0/  video

Investigation in the aftermath of brutal communal crimes is only one part of the issue. Victims' families are all poor and had been dependent on the income that the men brought home. Without compensation, they stare at financial uncertainty. https://thewire.in/rights/dakshina-kannada-karnataka-communal-hate-crime-compensation 

Since the incident, Shafi has had no job, no home to return to, and no support from the state government either. Although the police have arrested eight persons, including Pujari, there has been no further communication from the police or the Congress-led state government, he shares. “My family has been appealing to Congress leaders for compensation,” he says, “but there has been no response from the government so far”.

by Sukanya Shantha

04/07/2025

The communal riots erupted in North East Delhi on February 24, 2020, the result of clashes between the supporters of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and those opposing it. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act provided a way for undocumented migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to gain Indian citizenship – as long as they were not Muslim. Passed in December 2019, the act provoked protests across India.

https://scroll.in/article/1079476/five-years-later-delhi-polices-riots-conspiracy-case-is-built-on-sand 

Some alleged that the Delhi riots had been triggered by inflammatory speeches by the leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party against those protesting against the act. In an order on Feburary 26, 2020, a Delhi High Court judge had noted that remarks of four BJP leaders – Anurag Thakur, Kapil Mishra, Parvesh Verma and Abhay Verma – met the Indian Penal Code’s definition of hate speech.

However, the Delhi police instead booked 20 leaders and participants of the anti-CAA movement under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. They have been accused of orchestrating the riots as the culmination of a plan they had created over several months. Eighteen of them were arrested by the police through 2020. Two are absconding. Five years after the riots, 12 of them – all Muslim – continue to languish in prison, with the trial yet to even begin.

Scroll’s analysis shows that a predetermined narrative runs through the chargesheets, rarely reflecting the facts on the ground. The prosecution’s case seems to be based on fragile foundations, with little direct evidence, dangerously blurring the lines between legitimate protest and terrorism.

by Vineet Bhalla

24/02/2025