Officials in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh have demolished the homes of a number of people accused of involvement in protests that have ended in violence in recent weeks, amid tensions in the country over comments by government officials about the Islamic prophet Muhammad. .
The trigger for the revolt is two demonstrations held between the end of May and the beginning of June by two spokespersons for the BJP (Bharatiya Janata) party, the same as the prime minister, Narendra Modi, considered derogatory against Muhammad in a program of TV and on social media.
The party suspended the two and said it condemned any insult to any religion. Indian police have also filed complaints against the two, paving the way for an investigation.
The episode, however, led to protests in the streets across the country, many with a record of violence in clashes between Muslims, who demand the arrest of BJP members, and Hindus, who label them as heroes and nationalists. Police said they had arrested at least 400 suspected rioters in several states, imposed curfews and suspended internet services in some places.
In Indian Kashmir, on the border with Pakistan and China, police arrested a young man for posting a video on social media threatening to behead the author of one of the comments deemed offensive, officials said. The video, posted on YouTube, is no longer on the air.
Over the weekend, Uttar Pradesh state chief minister Yogi Adityanath ordered authorities to demolish any establishments deemed illegal and homes of people accused of involvement in the protests, the local government spokesman said.
The home of an alleged mastermind of the protests, whose daughter is a Muslim rights activist, was demolished amid a heavy police presence on Sunday. Properties of two more people accused of throwing stones after Friday prayers were also demolished in the state.
An aide to Adityanath tweeted a photo of a bulldozer demolishing a building and wrote: “Rebel elements, remember, every Friday is followed by a Saturday,” he said, referring to prayers offered by Muslims on Fridays. considered sacred. Opposition leaders accuse Adityanath’s government of unconstitutional methods to silence protesters.
This Monday (13), leaders of important Islamic groups and mosques in India appealed to Muslims to suspend the protests. “It is the duty of every Muslim to unite when someone belittles Islam, but at the same time it is essential to keep the peace,” said Malik Aslam of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, a Muslim organization that operates in a number of Indian states.
The comments by members of the Modi government were rejected by countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Iran – all important trading partners of India -, which presented diplomatic protests, but the prime minister did not respond.
Since coming to power in 2014, Modi has played down his roots in the powerful Hindu nationalist group his party is affiliated with, but Muslim minorities complain that repression has grown under the BJP rule. Critics say his party is taking a confrontational line, promoting the idea that India is a Hindu nation. Many Muslims see this as an attempt to marginalize their community, which comprises 13% of India’s population of 1.35 billion.
