Instances of alleged discrimination, harassment and atrocities faced by minorities continue to grow in India. The scars of Partition that created a Hindu-Muslim divide have been exacerbated by the domination of Hindutva far-right. Do Muslims today feel safe in India? Is the fear of the minorities on the rise?
The Babri Masjid in 1992 caused a deep rift between the two communities, and in protests in its aftermath, more than 2,000 people died. In the recent past, consuming beef, Azaan at mosques, wearing Hijab in public and so on have become political issues. From discriminatory legislations and policies such as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) to growing clashes during Ram Navami and Muharram processions, cow vigilantism, ‘Love Jihad’ and more, a specific community has been the main target.
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The recent communal violence that erupted in Nuh – a Muslim-majority district in Haryana – is a case in point where six people, including two home guards and a cleric, died in clashes that took place during a VHP procession. Subsequently, houses were bulldozed, Muslim-owned shops were shuttered, a mosque was torched, and workers and labourers living there were forced to return to their villages.
Against this backdrop, in the next magazine issue, Outlook looks at Islamophobia and tackles questions around it, including how the politics of polarisation continues to deeply influence Indian society.
