An interfaith relationship can lead to the demolition of your home in Uttar Pradesh, India

 The Indian Express

 How an interfaith relationship culminated in demolition of six houses in Moradabad
Last week, some people allegedly barged into a woman’s house to abduct her. And then the bulldozers rolled.
Written by Dheeraj Mishra
Moradabad | Updated: July 1, 2024 10:12 IST


Until recently, this village under Moradabad’s Mudha Pandey Police Station had never seen anything controversial. All that changed last week, when an interfaith love story ended in allegations of attempted kidnapping. And then, the bulldozers arrived.
This weekend, district authorities demolished six houses belonging to a Muslim family accused of trying to abduct a 20-year-old Hindu woman from the same village.

[ . . . ]

https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/lucknow/how-an-interfaith-relationship-culminated-in-demolition-of-six-houses-in-moradabad-9425097/

India: Strongly Condemn Vicious Communal Assault on Muslims - CPI(M) Statement June 27, 2024

 

Communist Party of India (Marxist)

June 27, 2024

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the
following statement:

Strongly Condemn Vicious Communal Assault on Muslims

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) condemns the
spate of attacks against members of the Muslim community in various parts of the country in the period since the election results were announced.

In Chhattisgarh’s capital Raipur, three Muslim men transporting bullocks
were branded as cow-smugglers and killed by so-called cow vigilantes. In
Aligarh, a Muslim man was beaten to death on allegations of theft.

In Mandala, Madhya Pradesh, eleven houses of Muslims were demolished within 24 hours after alleged reports of "beef" being recovered from their
refrigerators.

In Lucknow’s Akbarnagar, a predominantly Muslim area, homes of over a
thousand families were bulldozed for the construction of the riverfront.

People belonging to the Hindu community in the neighbourhood have come out in open protest against the allotment of a flat to a Muslim woman in in a
low-income group housing complex under the Chief Minister’s Housing Scheme in Gujarat’s Vadodara.

In Himachal Pradesh’s Nahan, the shop of a Muslim was looted and vandalised after allegations that he had sacrificed a cow during Eid-al-Adha. A case has also been registered against him for the alleged cow slaughter. All the other 16 Muslim shop-owners in the town have been forced to flee following the incident.

In Delhi’s Sangam Vihar there are reports of residents fleeing the area
after provocative speeches made by members of Hindutva outfits, following
the recovery of a cow carcass near a place of worship.

Such sharpening of communal assaults following the setbacks suffered by the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections highlight the fact that the BJP and the
Hindutva communal forces will intensify their attempts at polarization with
a renewed vengeance.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) calls upon all its units to remain vigilant
against such unscrupulous manoeuvres by the BJP and other communal outfits.

Party units throughout the country should organize protest actions
immediately against the vicious attempts at vitiating the atmosphere and
seeking to divert the attention of the people.

Muralidharan

For CPI(M) Central Committee Office

India: UP Police and the Persecution of Christians by the Sangh Parivar

 https://caravanmagazine.in/religion/the-uttar-pradesh-police-and-sanghs-persecution-of-christians

India: Man accused of involvement in the violence that led the death of a police office in Siyana, UP in 2018 in made zonal chief in Uttar Predesh

 

India: UP Court Convicts two for 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots for gang-rape

 livelaw.in

 2013 Muzaffarnagar Riots: UP Court Convicts Two In A Case Of Gang Rape, Awarded 20-Year Rigorous Imprisonment
Sparsh Upadhyay
9 May 2023 

A trial court in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district today CONVICTED 2 accused in a case of gang rape of a woman during the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots under Section 376(2)(g), 376-D and 506 IPC. 

The Additional District and Sessions Judge, Anjani Kumar Singh convicted accused Maheshvir and Sikander. Another accused Kuldeep died during the course of the trial. The accused have been awarded 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and Rs. 10,000/- fine under Section 367D IPC, 10 years of imprisonment under Section 376 (2)(g) IPC and a fine of Rs. 5000/- and 2 years of imprisonment under Section 506 IPC.

The victim was among the 7 women who had alleged that were raped during the 2013 riots, however, amid threats, 6 women chose not to pursue their case, leaving only the present victim to contest her case in Court. The sole victim was represented and provided assistance by Senior Advocate Vrinda Grover.

The victim was also represented by Advocates Ratna Appnender, Devika Tulsiani, Soutik Banerjee and Mannat Tipnis.  [ . . . ]

https://www.livelaw.in/news-updates/2013-muzaffarnagar-riots-up-court-convicts-gang-rape-228299

India: Official Circular of Uttar Pradesh Govt directs 75 dist. magistrates & top officials to organise ‘Akhand Ramayan Paath’ on Hindu religious festivals in March 2023

Has Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath found a new way to usher in ‘Hindu Rashtra’ in India’s most-populous state? This is reflected in an official circular his government issued to each of the 75 District Magistrates (DMs) as well as divisional commissioners. The circular directs these officials to organise special ‘Akhand Ramayan Paath’ on the occasion of ‘Ashtami’ and Ram Navami during the Navratri festival between March 22 and March 30.

--read more at: 'UP government’s message is disturbing, divisive' by Sharat Pradhan (Mar 27 2023)

https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/up-government-s-message-is-disturbing-divisive-1203937.html

India: Celebration of State violence in Uttar Pradesh - 'UP Mein Chalega Buldozer' on Packing for crisps

 

India: Hindutva’s Dalit card - Op-Ed in The Telegraph by Harish S. Wankhede (Nov 8, 2022)

 Hindutva’s Dalit card

Large sections of Dalits are still attached to Hindu religious traditions and overwhelmingly participate in various local rituals 

 

The Dalits emerged as a radical political class in the 1990s, imagining the ‘bahujan’ as the new upholder of power on account of the Bahujan Samaj Party’s assertive interventions.

File Photo.

---

Harish S. Wankhede   |   Published 08.11.22

 

https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/hindutvas-dalit-card-bjp-suggests-greater-representation-of-dalits-in-party/cid/1896851 

India: In Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh .. far right Hindutva outfit Hindu Mahasabha took out a rally on 15 Aug 2022 with the picture of Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi.

Location : Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. On the occasion of independence day, far right Hindutva outfit Hindu Mahasabha took out a rally with the picture of Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi.

 

 https://twitter.com/HindutvaWatchIn/status/1559396100838027264

India: State & Religion meet more and more - In UP's Baghpat and in Meetut, top state officers flower petal on Kanwariyas

 In UP's Baghpat, DM and SP shower flower petal on kanwariyas

https://twitter.com/Benarasiyaa/status/1551226359891894272

#UttarPradesh | #Baghpat में खुली जीप में सवार होकर डीएम-एसपी ने शिवभक्तों पर बरसाए फूल

https://twitter.com/QuintHindi/status/1551416359325937665

In UP's Meerut, SSP Rohit Singh Sajwan and DM Deepak Meena onboard a helicopter shower flower petals on Kanwariyas

https://twitter.com/Benarasiyaa/status/1551524017932099586

  Uttar Pradesh | Meerut SSP Rohit Singh and DM Deepak Meena showered flower petals on kanwariyas, through helicopter

https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/1551518430561308672 

Everyday incitement and fear mongering in India: Excerpt from speech by a certain saint Maharaj Kalicharan in Uttar Pradesh

 https://twitter.com/WeUttarPradesh/status/1521006862111768577

India: On Camera, Hatemonger's Rape Threat To Muslim Women In Sitapur UP Amid Cheers

On Camera, Hatemonger's Rape Threat To Muslim Women In UP Amid Cheers

Sitapur police have said a senior officer is investigating the matter and that action will be taken on the basis of facts.

All India Reported by Alok Pandey, Edited by Saikat Kumar BoseUpdated: April 08, 2022

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/on-camera-hatemongers-rape-threat-to-muslim-women-in-up-amid-cheers-2869943

India: The Hijab row in Karnataka Colleges will polarise and the BJP will make gains probably during the 2022 assembly elections in UP ?

Hijab controversy: More to do with UP than Karnataka? Is it entirely a coincidence that Owaisi has brought the hijab issue to the UP elections? by Bharat Bhushan (Deccan Herald, Feb 10, 2022) Udupi is a long way from Lucknow, but the hijab controversy is just the kind of emotive issue that could help the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) polarise voters in the UP election. https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/hijab-controversy-more-to-do-with-up-than-karnataka-1079976.html o o How Hindutva Group Mobilised the Saffron-Clad Students at Udupi College (The Quint) [Two days before students protested against their hijab-wearing classmates at MGM college, a message was circulated] https://www.thequint.com/news/india/how-the-hindutva-group-mobilised-the-saffron-clad-students-at-udupi-college

India: 80% versus 20% - Majoritarian Dog Whistle by Yogi on the eve of Uttar Pradesh Elections | Comment by Bharat Bhushan

 https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/not-reacting-to-yogis-80-20-rhetoric-may-make-sense-1070700.html

Not reacting to Yogi's 80-20 rhetoric may make sense Opposition ignoring communal rhetoric can deny BJP the advantage it seeks to hijack the election campaign PinterestLinkedinGmail Bharat Bhushan Bharat Bhushan, Jan 13 2022,

Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/not-reacting-to-yogis-80-20-rhetoric-may-make-sense-1070700.html

Not reacting to Yogi's 80-20 rhetoric may make sense Opposition ignoring communal rhetoric can deny BJP the advantage it seeks to hijack the election campaign PinterestLinkedinGmail Bharat Bhushan Bharat Bhushan, Jan 13 2022,

Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/not-reacting-to-yogis-80-20-rhetoric-may-make-sense-1070700.html

India: Politics of hate has hit UP’s development - Zoya Hasan (The Tribune, Jan 6, 2022)

 The Tribune, Jan 06, 2022

Politics of hate has hit UP’s development

The stage is set for a high-voltage electoral battle in UP in the coming months. This is the moment when the state government must be held to account as regards its performance. This has acquired urgency as the BJP seeks to alter the very basis of politics to create a permanent ethnic voting bloc, privileging the majority community to establish Hindu dominance, with economic issues relegated to the background and matters of jobs, price rise and public health thrown out of the poll fray.

Zoya Hasan

Professor Emerita, JNU

As Ayodhya, Varanasi and Mathura take centre stage in India’s weightiest state, it is clear that the ruling party’s campaign in the poll-bound Uttar Pradesh (UP) is centred on Hinduising the voters, rather than bothering about the economy or harmony. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its lead campaigners are reluctant to focus on the track record of their double-engine government in the last five years. But they are never short on attacking past governments for lack of development and making exaggerated claims regarding development under their own government. That’s why, it is imperative to scrutinise the claims of the UP Government and the consequences of its divisive politics.

The state records one of the lowest growth rates in India. On most development indicators, UP ranks poorly compared to other states. It is economically backward and socially conservative. Even a cursory examination of the actual conditions of people would show no significant improvement in the quality of public life, health or education sectors or employment opportunities. Unemployment, lawlessness and the collapse of public infrastructure remain the calling cards of the state.

Even so, the BJP has been trying to portray UP as a ‘transformed’ state under its government. The UP Chief Minister had said in March 2020, while marking his government’s fourth year in office, that UP had been lifted from the ‘Bimaru’ (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh) status to ‘Samarth’ (capable). But most development indicators belie these claims. UP was a ‘Bimaru’ state and it has remained so. If anything, it has worsened in some respects in the last five years.

An important indication that things have not changed much can be seen from the state’s per capita income, which has increased by just 0.43 per cent over the four years of this government as against the claim of 100 per cent growth. Per capita income was half (Rs 41,023) of the national average (Rs 86,659) in 2019-20 and the second lowest in the country.

But still, the UP Government has been putting out front-page advertisements in leading newspapers that the state is making great progress, even claiming that UP’s per capita income has doubled. These claims are based on figures of gross state domestic product (GSDP) in the budget documents of 2021-22, which was revised upward, implying an increase in growth over 2019-20.

But this is far removed from the official estimates of GSDP prepared by the Department of Economics and Statistics (‘Economic Growth in Uttar Pradesh in Recent Years’, Economic and Political Weekly, December 11, 2021).

Let us look at the two crucial indicators of health and women’s employment to gauge the state of development. UP is at the bottom of the 19 large states in the latest Niti Aayog health index for 2019-20. It is ranked the worst in institutional deliveries both in 2014-15 and 2019-20. The state was hit by the disastrous second wave of Covid-19. The state’s misery was reflected in oxygen shortages, failing public hospitals and visuals of hundreds of dead bodies buried hurriedly on the banks of the Ganga. UP is among the states with the lowest female participation in the workforce. It was less than 10 per cent in both urban and rural areas in pre-Covid-19 years and is unlikely to have grown since the pandemic. With 91 per cent of women out of the labour market in UP, they are among the poorest and most vulnerable. UP’s economy has clearly failed them in terms of meagre employment generation and the lack of associated income opportunities.

The dismal state of development has to be seen in the backdrop of the growth of Hindu nationalism which dominates politics and society in that state. UP has been critical to the public staging of the Hindutva project in a way that is not true of other states. The figurative significance of Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura in this process as symbols of Hindu unity and as a wedge around which communal consolidation can take place cannot be underestimated. None of the other states quite have this cache. Currently, nation and religion are interchangeable in UP, but, ironically, the state is more divided and unequal than before. In fact, the ideologues of Hindu nationalism never ever refer to distributive justice or equity or improving the lot of the poor. They seek to unify the majority by disguising the true state of development or livelihoods with the lure of religious nationalism, which then becomes a mask to obfuscate the most significant inequalities.

The head of a mutt is the head of the government. Under his watch, the state’s descent into a communal cul-de-sac has gained momentum. Every day, there is a frontal assault on secularity, justice and decency. Add to this, the discrimination and intimidation of Muslims by the highest political functionaries and their total exclusion from public institutions, fusing the state with religion (of the majority) entirely. This underlines the inability of religious nationalism to conceive of equal citizenship and equal participation as the foundation of democracy.

The stage is set for a high-voltage electoral battle in UP in the coming months. This is the moment when the state government must be held to account as regards its performance. This has acquired urgency as the BJP seeks to alter the very basis of politics to create a permanent ethnic voting bloc, privileging the majority Hindu community to establish Hindu dominance, with economic issues relegated to the background and matters of jobs, price rise and public health thrown out of the electoral fray.

The politics of hate adversely affects economic activity as it overtakes basic issues. As a result, UP is struggling with the contradictions between the socio-economic needs of the people and the communal agenda of the regime.

Hindu nationalism has subverted the political vocabulary from democracy, rights, equality and deliberation to sacrifice, duty, victimhood, pride, law and order, cow protection, love jihad and conversions. This vocabulary undercuts the language needed for actually developing and implementing policies that would benefit the people.

The rights-based approach to development, where people get benefits as a right, rather than as an act of benevolence from the government, is the way to rescue UP and reverse the damages caused by the counter-revolution in the heartland of our democracy.

India: Prime Minister inaugurates the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor project involving millions of dollars from tax payers money for a religious project

 

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/kashi-vishwanath-dham-corridor-inauguration-live-updates-pm-modi-achieved-what-could-not-be-in-1000-yrs-says-yogi-adityanath/liveblog/88247852.cms