EDITORIAL: What has happened in Udaipur district of India’s Rajasthan state brings to mind a former UN general-secretary Ban ki-Moon’s advice to all people of goodwill at a debate on the culture of peace and non-violence: Deny those who want to sow hatred precisely what they seek — more hatred, more attacks, more divisions.
The ruling BJP-RSS combine has chosen the opposite path making the country’s Muslim community the target of discriminatory laws, violence and hate speech. Last month, BJP’s official spokeswoman, Nupur Sharma, went as far as to make blasphemous remarks about the Prophet of Islam (PBUH). After her comments drew a huge backlash from several Muslim countries, the government tried to distance itself from her deeply offensive comments. But that did not prevent an Udaipur tailor, Kanhaiya Lal, from endorsing them in a social media posting, leading to his horrific murder.
According to reports, last Tuesday two young Muslim men went to his shop posing as customers. And while one hacked him to death with a cleaver the other recorded the slaying. They later posted videos of the gruesome act online, saying they were “avenging an insult to Islam.” Both were arrested the same day while trying to flee Udaipur by motorbike.
Hundreds of emotionally charged Hindus gathered outside the tailor’s home, and the next day again took out protest demonstrations waving saffron flags — the colour of Hinduism — and shouted slogans demanding death penalty for the two men. Indian Muslim organisations condemned the killing yet a leader of an extremist Hindu group, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, breathed fire, claiming that “many Muslim leaders have insulted Hindu beliefs”, and held out the threat “you should be afraid of the day when Hindus start giving reply to the insult in the same coin.
” They have already been killing innocent Muslims on mere suspicion of eating cow meat or other flimsy pretexts without facing legal consequences or even condemnation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi or any other leader of his party.
Rajasthan police chief as well as Union Home minister Amit Shah, who like all BJP leaders, thrives on anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistan rhetoric, have tried to give a mischievous twist to the tragic incident. Ignoring its obvious trigger, they pointed accusing finger at this country alleging that one of the two prime accused had links with a Pakistan-based religious organisation, Dawat-i-Islami, since he had visited Karachi in 2014.
In its reaction to this preposterous allegation the Foreign Office in Islamabad categorically rejected the linkage between a Pakistani organisation and those involved in Kanhaiya Lal’s murder. Unfortunately, the BJP, its auxiliary groups, and cohorts are intent on spreading hatred of the ‘others’ to divide India along communal lines. They want to turn India into a Hindu state in which minority communities, in particular Muslims, are to be relegated to second class status.
This political Hinduism project can help, has helped, them win elections, but at the cost of the country’s founding ideals of secularism and pluralism that defined its democratic credentials, allowing all decent Indians to take pride in these values and the progress and prosperity they brought. BJP has only brought shame to India’s doorsteps.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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