Attacks on Muslims Persist in India Despite BJP’s Weakened Majority

The recent lynching of 35-year-old Mohammad Fareed in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh has highlighted the ongoing violence and persecution faced by India’s Muslim minority under the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, South China Morning Post reported yesterday.

According to the article, despite hopes that the BJP’s loss of its majority in the recent general elections would lead to a reduction in religiously-motivated attacks, the violence has continued unabated. In the month of June alone, six such cases of mob lynchings and attacks on Muslims have been reported across the country.

Political analysts say the targeting of minority communities will persist unless the government takes strong action to curb the growing “mob lynching culture” emboldened by the BJP’s decade-long rule. The opposition “INDIA” coalition has been criticized for its deafening silence on the issue, with rights activists accusing them of failing to make Muslim persecution a central part of their ideological battle against the BJP.

The latest incidents, including the killing of a woman in Chhattisgarh for converting to Christianity and the harassment of a Muslim businessman in Himachal Pradesh, have sparked outrage and fear among India’s 200 million-strong Muslim population as well as other faith minorities.

Experts warn that with state elections coming up, such attacks could further escalate as the BJP seeks to consolidate its Hindu nationalist base.

Despite the government passing a new law that introduces the death penalty for mob lynchings, rights activists say the police and administration have been unwilling to protect the constitutional rights of minorities. The continued impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators of such violence has led to growing concerns about the future of religious pluralism and the rule of law in the world’s largest democracy.