Delhi riots, ordinary Muslims and communalisation of the country

Amidst the lockdown, when the nation is under severe social and economic crisis, with 122 million Indians losing their jobs in April alone, the Modi led BJP government has prioritised arresting people for their involvement in the Delhi violence which erupted on the night of 26th February. The arrest would have been laudable effort had the government arrested the people who invoked the violence. The government, on the contrary, has launched a witch hunt, against the students and alumni of Jamia Millia Islamia University as well as Jawaharlal Nehru University who had participated in and organised protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act on campus and have booked them under the draconian Unlawful Activity Prevention Act.

The Hon’ble Home Minister had promised in the Parliament that everyone involved in the riots will be dealt with in such a way that it “will be a lesson for the country on what befalls those who indulge in rioting” but ensured that “no innocent is harassed”. However, in the name of enquiry the Government arrested, several Muslim activists and scholars involved in protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act such as Khalid Saifi, Umar Khalid, Safoora Zargar as well as Akhil Gogoi and Dr Kafeel Khan. Some of who were released on bail by the courts in one offence but they were arrested again in a new case under the draconian acts such as NSA and UAPA. The arrests of these students, scholars and secular activists are unfolding in a targeted manner to weaken the Anti- CAA movements in the country. Hiding behind the chaos of the COVID-19 Pandemic and using the biggest public health, social and economic crises to hit independent India, the Central government is blatantly trying to politicise the Delhi violence by blaming it on the Anti-CAA protestors. The basic requirement of the Criminal law is that you proceed based on the crime committed i.e. the smoking gun. However, here the Central Government and the Delhi police are working backwards. The Government is trying to prove their hypothesis that the Delhi riots were caused due to the Anti -CAA protest by collecting evidence and picking up students while the smoking gun is missing. Chronologically, this reeks of a conspiracy by the Central government.

While the BJP leaders that have incited the violence in Delhi through their actions, including the provocative statement of Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur, open threats of Parvesh Verma as well as Kapil Mishra who by way of tweet gave a call to his supporters “to give an answer to Jaffrabad” remain unscathed. The stand of the government on a High Court petition seeking registration of a case against Mishra is that the “time is not ripe” for filing an FIR. From Yogi Adityanath to Kapil Mishra, the party seems to almost shelter and nurture those who play communal games.

The violence that erupted in Delhi where mobs of thousands carrying stones in sacks, acid bottles, loaded guns, petrol/ kerosene and homemade explosives with the overt use of religious slogan during attack were ignored. Whether the violence was planned or not, who were the masterminds behind the violence can only be traced if there is an independent enquiry of the Delhi riots. However, the seriousness of the situation arises because the hate campaign of the Sangh Paarivar for last 35 years which has resulted into fearful divide amongst Hindus and the Muslims. Due to this conflict, situation of riots can arise anytime anywhere in the country and can result into a catastrophe.

The role of the police during communal situations has followed the same pattern as that of Gujarat in 2002. Police did not respond to thousands of distress calls and took no preventive measure to diffuse the tensions all the while when the truckloads of stones/weapons were brought from outside. Police were unable to provide safe passage for ambulances and fire engines which aggravated the loss of life and property. The inaction of the police in all these instances has enabled the majority community to unleash unchecked violence. Most importantly, the address the nation by Prime Minister Modi has stark similarity to the speeches of the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. In both, he omitted to address the killings of Muslims.

The Sangh Parivar has always urged people to perceive Muslims as one monolithic minority, ignoring their diversity, labelling them as invaders of a rightfully Hindu India. The leader of the current government fearlessly and proudly call Muslims “termites” “infiltrators,” constantly asked them to prove their “Indianness” and even threatened publicly with“ Goli maaro ..” Ordinary Hindus who are not communal are now being moulded by this communal propaganda. This injects the right-wing elements of the Muslim community to justify their fanatic views in the community, thus creating a chain reaction. Every Hindu- Muslim riot that India has witnessed, this atmosphere of hate, grief and anger build up to a dangerous level amongst both the communities where the sane, liberal and humane voices are muted. The Government is, through the arrest of progressive Muslim Scholars and activists, ensuring that there is a vacuum in the Muslim leadership. The Radical and conservative Muslim Leadership then occupies this vacuum and use it to instigate more hate towards the Hindus. This is then weaponised by the Sangh Parivar to justify their own hatred towards the Muslims.

This communalization of the current Indian Polity has thus forced the progressive Indian Muslim to the periphery while the radicalised and conservative elements of the religion are being pushed to the centre. The Sachar Committee highlighted that besides socio-economic deprivation, Muslims live with a sense of fear and insecurity owing to communal riots and violence. Owing to this fear, even after seven decades of India’s independence, the Muslims live in poverty, social and educational backwardness in ghettoes across the country

Ordinary Muslims are patriotic and believe in the Constitution of India with its intrinsic values of justice, equality and pluralism. These values align with the Quranic values of justice and fairness. Kindness and compassion are enshrined in both. The Constitution is an article of faith; the Quran teaches Muslims watanparasti or love for the country.

Several ordinary Muslims are ready for change. Shaheen Bagh was an indication of that change. It was an inspiring and unique model, a protest led by women of all ages including the elderly, where protesters are using artwork, book readings, lectures, poetry recitals, songs, interfaith prayers and communal cooking to explain their resistance to citizenship laws. They hold up national symbols of Indian Flag, sing the national anthem, adopt Indian constitution as their manifesto and commit to ideologies of Gandhi and Ambedkar to remind us all that India at its core is secular and plural. The Shaheen baghprotest was inclusive to all and has been akin to the “fourth wave of feminism” for their call is “Azaadi” from classism, from casteism, from discrimination, from hunger.

The measures both preventive and corrective are needed to combat these incidences. But for such measures to succeed it should not alienate and discriminate an entire community. The need of the hour is to bolster the faith of minorities in our criminal justice system, in our courts and most importantly the government of India. The government must ensure that these Muslims be part of any collective national discourse, and not still be treated as the perpetual enemy around which the current nationalism is defined, so that there they may be integrated into the national mainstream. It is imperative on the part of the government to take actions against those who are guilty of delivering the /hate speech including AIMIM leader Waris Pathan, though he apologised and withdrew his statement unlike Anurag Thakur or Kapil Mishra. They must form a Citizen’s committee involving former Judges of Supreme court, journalists, people’s organisations to investigate the violence in Delhi independently and impartially.

The Muslims of India are holding the Constitution as their manifesto but it is now on the government to reach out to them. We must not reward those who have had a hand in unleashing this fire and fury on Delhi. Historical wrongs must be corrected by the rule of law.