Amnesty: India Police Flogging Muslims ‘Serious Rights Violation’

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Facts

  • Human rights group Amnesty International has condemned the public flogging of Muslims by police in the BJP-ruled Indian state of Gujarat. A video of Tuesday's incident in the village of Udhela constitutes, 'a serious human rights violation,' according to the organization, and shows, 'utter disrespect towards the law.'1
  • Viral recordings show Muslim men, who were detained for allegedly throwing stones during Hindu celebration Navrati Garba, tied to a pole and publicly flogged with canes by officers in plain clothes. Meanwhile, police in uniform stand by along with a significant crowd that included women and children cheering and chanting.2
  • According to VR Bajpai, a senior police officer: 'Women and men were injured,' during Garba, 'Muslims started the stone pelting. ... Thirteen people have been arrested. They have also confessed to the crime.' Authorities have reportedly been unable to confirm the details of the incident, although the content of the video has sparked backlash.3
  • Garba sees huge annual events take place across India, where people assemble in parks and community halls in traditional dress and dance in large circles. Although historically an inclusive celebration — which has sometimes included Muslim artists singing devotional songs — Hindu nationalist groups have sought a ban on Muslim participation in recent years.4
  • The incident has drawn widespread attention to issues of alleged minority oppression in India, where incidents of sectarian violence are frequent. Under the governance of PM Narendra Modi and his BJP, which came to power in 2014, various laws targeting Muslims have been introduced, and Muslims and Christians have faced attacks by Hindu nationalists.5
  • According to senior communist party politician Brinda Karat, the election of the BJP government has seen, 'religious festivities becoming occasions to create and deepen fault lines between communities.' In a separate event on Monday, the houses of three Muslim men were demolished in the BJP-ruled state of Madya Pradesh, after a fight developed at a Garba event.5

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2Global village space, 3Ndtv, 4The national and 5The telegraph.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Al Jazeera. Islamaphobia is the norm in Modi's India, having been condoned and even encouraged by the BJP. Intolerance of religious minorities, especially muslims, has always been a central feature of Hindu nationalist ideology in India — this latest incident is just further evidence of this oppressive framework cementing itself practically in Indian society.
  • Narrative B, as provided by The daily guardian. Only religious codes which don't intervene with the lifestyle of other religious groups would be feasible in a democracy such as India's. Although the content of Tuesday's video hasn't been fully clarified, authorities have confirmed that detained Muslims were targeting a Hindu festival and that innocent bystanders were injured as a result. When religious practices undermine the Indian system and Constitution, they must face scrutiny.

Predictions