Qaisar Mansoor
Religious minorities are facing state-sanctioned violence in BJP-ruled India as the Modi-led fascist Indian government has adopted laws and policies that systematically discriminate against Muslims and other minorities in the country.
Hijab ban shows Hindutva policies are directed towards Muslims and soon these policies will start impacting other minorities of India. BJP, which runs governments in Karnataka as well as at the Centre, has backed the discriminatory ban. Recently, members belonging to Sikh minority community are barred from entering polling stations by Police officials for carrying Kirpan in Jalalabad, Punjab.
The minority community expressed fear that if they could not carry Kirpan in Indian Punjab, which is a Sikh majority state, then how they would be treated in other parts of the country. Sardar Gopal Singh Chawla said in a statement, Sikhs should not accept such a ban and urged other minority communities including Muslims and Christians to unite to fight extremist policies of BJP-led Hindu national government. BJP has campaigned for the application of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC); which minorities believe would be tantamount to the imposition of Hindu laws.
Congress has called the hijab ban “inhuman and communal” accusing the government of creating controversy in order to gain political mileage before the upcoming state elections next year. Post-Independence Sikhs, Muslims and Christians remained the victim of state terrorism and thousands of them have been killed in various episode of state sponsored terrorism. Human rights groups report titled ‘Christians under attack in India’ highlights that over 300 instances of violence have been reported from across 21 states, particularly North India, in nine months of 2021. Indian caste system deprives Dalits from basic human rights and they are forced to live as 2nd class citizens.
RSS driven Hindu supremacy ideology will further increase her high-handedness against minorities to suppress their voice, representation and basic rights. Minorities should mitigate the effects of Indian machinations is to unit under the banner of OPIM (Oppressed People of Indian Movement). Sujatha Gidla, author of the book “Ants Among Elephants”, reminded of “the French Police terrorizing Muslim women in burkinis” in 2016. A senior journalist, Samar Halarnkar, says coastal Karnataka is “the crucible of Hindutva” politics and “its proving ground”. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi says Hindutva ideology has dominated India and minorities including Christians, Muslims and Sikhs were facing hardship.
