Mumbai: The pattern of communal violence has changed from riots to mob lynching and hate speech under the BJP’s rule, according to a latest report on communal violence. The Status of Freedom of Religion or Belief in India since 2014 documents the incidents of communal violence that have unfolded after 2014.
On Saturday, the analytical report on communal violence after 2014 was released by the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS) at the Yashwantrao Chavan Centre. The book talks about different incidents as well as the changing pattern of communal violence in India from the year 2014, when the BJP came to power.
The book highlights that pattern of communal violence has changed after 2014 as during some years, the incidents of riots have decreased in comparison to previous years but there is a manifold increase in mob lynching, hate speech and communal legislation. Irfan Engineer, the author of the book and the director at CSSS, has researched about communal violence from various news sources and later personally visited the places of riots to report the violence.
“After 2014, the Indian state under the Hindu nationalist began acting in concert with the Hindu nationalist cadres resulting in much higher and synchronised levels of violence undermining rule of law more or less completely so far as religious minorities is concerned. The state would enact laws in order to oppress the minorities and the Hindu nationalist cadres would take cue, and turn violent against minorities, which to them would be patriotic action to get rid of the minorities or suppress their ‘anti-national’ acts,” said an excerpt from the book.
Speaking at the discussion about the book, Engineer said, “Documenting communal violence after 2014 is important since the BJP had promised that there will be no violence during their governance. Although in some years after 2014, the riots have decreased, except the Northeast Delhi riots in 2020, communal polarisation is continuously increasing. There are more small riots in a wide geographical area and it is heading southwards as well as towards the rural areas.”
Author and activist Ram Puniyani also joined the panel discussion during the release of the book and said, “After 2014, the government has been violating the bureaucracy and state machinery and its victim is the Muslim community. Even the other parties which are supposed to be secular are under the pressure and their leaders have to act in appeasement of the majority.”
Abhay Thipsay, former judge at the Bombay High Court and the Allahabad High Court said, “A government which openly says that it wants a Hindu Rashtra has come to power. It has always been projected that the Hindus have suffered due to other communities. Under its governance, there is a strong communal bias in the bureaucracy.”
Advocate and human rights activist Mihir Desai said, “The book should have a report of the judgments given by the judiciary regarding communal matters. The way the supreme court has dealt with abrogation of article 370 and internet ban in Kashmir is shameful. The same judge who said that Ayodhya is a one-off case and in every other conflict there will be the Places of Worship Act, has been allowing surveys in the Gyanvapi mosque.”
