Following the violence that unfolded during this year’s Ram Navami procession, mainly in Bihar, the AIMIM chief Assaduddin Owaisi posted a cryptic tweet on Monday.
Sharing an article by Al Jazeera, Owaisi tweeted, “The events of (the) tragic night of the broken glass “Kristallnacht” especially shed light on this phenomenon. Hundreds of synagogues were burned to the ground, while many others were damaged on a night that arguably signaled the beginning of the Holocaust’s last phases. Genocide….?”
The article, written by Sara Ather, an independent architect, and writer based in New Delhi, talks about the recent demolition of mosques in India post-2014.
Among the many demolitions, she mentions a 16th-century Shahi Masjid in Prayagraj, a 300-year-old mosque in Muzaffarnagar district, and Shamsi Jama Masjid an 800-year-old national heritage site in Budaun, all situated in Uttar Pradesh, to name a few.
According to the district administrations, the mosques were razed down for ‘road widening’.
The article further mentions how in Narendra Modi’s India, many cities with Muslim names were rechristened with “overtly Hindu” names. The latest cities were Aurangabad and Osmannagar in Maharashtra as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv respectively.
Reacting to the name change, AIMIM Maharashtra chief Imtiaz Jaleel took a dig at the Eknath Shinde-BJP-led state government asking whether such ‘initiatives’ end social problems such as unemployment.
Festivals are the new Hindutva tools
There was a time when Hindu festivals such as Ram Navami, Hanuman Jayanthi, Dussehra, or Vijayadashami, were looked through a secular lens.
However, post-2014, the country witnessed large-scale rioting and stone pelting between Hindus and Muslims. Incidents of arson involving Islamic religious structures were also reported.
Last year’s Ram Navami was marred with violence between the communities in seven states. Coincidently, the festivals fell during Ramzan, the holy month of Muslims.
Scores of Hindutva workers dressed in saffron took part in the processions – Sree Ram Navami Yatra and Veer Hanuman Shobha Yatra. Several incidents of them walking through Muslim-dominated colonies and mosques, instigating the latter by playing communal songs and campaigning for the genocide of the minority community were reported.
The lyrics encouraged violence against Muslims, the demolition of mosques, and a call to boycott Muslim food, and trade.
A sample:
Jis din jaag utha Hindut, toh ye anjaam bolega
Ki topi wala sar jhuka ke Jai Sri Ram bolega.
Jis din khola khoon mera, dikha denge aukat teri
Fir toh hum nahi bolenge, bas bolegi talwaar meri.
which translates into
The day the Hindus wake up, the consequence will be
That the skull-cap wearer will bow down and say victory to lord Ram.
The day my blood boils, I wish to show you your place
Then I will not speak, only my sword will.
Bihar Sharif violence
This year also, Ramzan, Ram Navami, and Hanuman Jayanthi fall in the same month. Violence was mainly reported in Bihar Sharif town in Nalanda district where one Muslim man was killed.
Multimedia journalist Meer Faisal posted a thread on his official Twitter page documenting 24-hour violence during the Ram Navami celebrations.
According to the latest reports, police have arrested 77 persons. A senior officer of the Bihar Police said, “Probe is on to nab other miscreants also responsible for Ram Navami violence amid prevailing tension in the area.”