The pattern of Ram Navami processions becoming occasions for display of Islamophobic bigotry, followed by anti-Muslim violence, is being witnessed in atleast nine states; including Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, New Delhi, Goa, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Karnataka, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Bihar.
“Jai Shree Ram” slogans were chanted in front of mosques by sword wielding crowds waving saffron flags. The processions taken out in Muslim neighbourhoods were embellished with songs played on loudspeakers, the lyrics to which called for violence towards the Muslim community. All these provocations let to vandalisation of mosques and Muslim owned shops and buildings. In a seprate but connected incident, ABVP goons attacked students and hostel staff in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) for protesting against ABVP’s demand that non vegetarian food not be served in the hostel.
These incidents are a testament to the politically engineered social hatred of right wing organizations like RSS and Bajrang Dal, reproduced to inflict violence on Muslims. The Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Kapil Mishra, who was central in inciting the pogrom at North East Delhi, was also present in the Ram Navami procession in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh, where shops were demolished and at least 10 houses were burnt down. The complicity of the police has been a constant theme, where they have chosen to let the violence play out and actively targeted Muslim youth with arrests, while the perpetrators are free.
In Khargone, houses of families of those who were falsely accused were demolished in Chandni Chowk and Khaskhaswadi Mohalla, acting out an archaic idea of collective punishment.
As many have pointed out, the Ram Navami processions and the following violence, had the same modus operandi across states. A yatra “celebrating” Ram Navami is carried out through areas with a significant Muslim population. The crowd then stops outside a mosque to raise communal slogans, while the DJ plays music with provocative lyrics calling for violence against Muslims, destruction of mosques and religious wars. Amidst all this, a stone pelting incident is reported, the perpetrators of which are always unidentified people. This orchestrated aggravation is enough for the mob to “turn violent”, attacking and vandalising mosques, as well as Muslim owned shops and houses with weapons and torches, as the police personnel look on. One can’t help but question why the crowd was armed with weapons and swords, and how the police failed to take notice of both the actions of the crowd and the patterned as well as planned nature of the violence.
These processions are not isolated instances that took place in a vacuum. These series of events on the day of the Ram Navami violence were preceded by attacks on Muslim vendors in Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, students wearing hijab being denied the right to sit in classrooms and appear for exams, saffron flags being hoisted upon mosques in Uttar Pradesh, calls given for boycott of halal meat, Muslim vendors being excluded from participating in temple fairs in Karnataka, the supposed ‘meat ban’ being enacted in south Delhi which severely affected Muslim meat sellers, and religious leaders like Bajrang Muni Udasin publicly putting out calls for sexual violence against Muslim women.
These incidents need to be looked at within a wider pattern of concerted attempts to erase, demolish, attack and transform visible symbols and practices of religious coexistence. The Hindu nationalist suspicion towards Muslims as true citizens and patriots, a narrative which came up constantly during the anti-CAA-NRC movement, has devolved into a cultural assertion against the very existence of Muslims. Every aspect of the life of Indian Muslims is being undone and attempted to be destroyed by majoritarian violence.
The idea of ‘Hindus in danger’ has become the mobilising cry for anti-Muslim violence. Cultural moments are defined by their potential to instill and invoke majoritarian violence and hatred. Given that we as Indian Muslims are facing economic boycotts, being publicly lynched, having our houses and shops burned down, witnessing the criminalisation of our existence, and facing persecution on multiple fronts; are Hindus really in danger?
Signatories:
Individuals:
Manisha Gupte
Roop Rekha Verma
Geeta Seshu (Journalist)
Teesta Setalvad (Activist and Journalist)
Maitree Muzumdar (Artist)
Frazer Mascarenhas (Academic Administrator)
Akanksha (Queer Feminist Ambedkarite Researcher and Activist)
Maimoona Mollah (women’s rights activist)
John Dayal
Dr. Anjali Monteiro (Filmmaker and academic)
Ketki Ranade/ KP
Cedric Prakash (Human Rights Activist/writer)
Pratiksha Baxi (academic)
Dr Sylvia Karpagam (Public Health Doctor)
Yashodhara
Noorahmad
Arzu Sarfaraz (Journalist)
Feroz Khan
Yakub Mohammed
Ranjana Padhi
Jeh Chinoy
Rafi Veettil
Shivani Kumari
Nidhi K
Jennifer Ahmed
Apeksha Vora
Persis Ginwalla
Aastha
Freny Manecksha (Independent Journalist)
Anupriya
Anju
Alam Nawaz
Shubham Kothari
Devesh Mundepi (Social Activist)
Abhinav C.
Kaneez Fathima (Civil Rights Activist)
Alima Fatima
Paroma Chakravarty
Kunal Chattopadhyay
Aparna
Uttam
Devika Saheli
Dr Aftab khan
Pawan
Shaina Anand (Artist)
Hamza Shaikh (Student)
Mansoor
Iqra
Vikas Nikumbh
Valenie Lopez
Hiren Gandhi.
Sana
Vani Subramanian
Dorothy Fernandes (Activist)
Sr. Justine Gitanjali Senapati (Human Rights Activist)
Sayantan Datta (Science Journalist)
Vihaan
Shehroz Zia
T Q. Contractor
Latha V
Dev Desai
Abdul Rehman Rangrej
Humaira
ShoonyaKhare
Meghna Nair
Mridul (Technology Professional)
Umer Saleem (Student)
Nikhat Fatima (civil rights activist)
Shals Mahajan (writer)
Manisha Chaudhry
Smriti Nevatia
Enakshi Bhattacharya
Prajval Shastri
Radha Khedkar (Entrepreneur)
Sumita Bertho (queer feminist activist)
Koel Chatterji (Social Activist)
Prajval Shastri (astrophysicist)
Lisa Pires
Vinit Vichare
Bhargav Oza (Independent researcher)
Khalida Parveen
Arjumand Nazia
dyuti
Neelam (PhD scholar)
Marya
Anu Samanvaya
Saima Anam Shaikh
Ummu
Charu Khanna
Misba Sayyad
Sangeeta Rege (Health rights)
sarah shaikh
Mehvish (activist and lawyer)
Sunil Tamminaina
Sharda Ugra (journalist)
Nisha Biswas
Padmalatha Ravi
Mini Mathew (Lawyer)
Ammu Joseph (Writer)
Rashmi
Jasveen Jairath (independent activist)
Muhib Khan
Parag
ChhayaBasu (retired teacher)
Marjorie Rodrigues
Mir Mudassir Ali
Amod Shah (PhD Researcher)
MohorChatterje (student)
Drishti Chawla (Independent Artist)
Dr. Mohan Rao (Independent researcher)
Saba khan s
Shloka
Azra khan
Sarthak Shukla (student)
Sumathi Rao
Jaafar ali
Ibrar (Student)
Eulalia Pereira
Nandini Rao
Deepti
Maisha Khan
Minha Khan
Revathi Narayanan
Shubham Kaushal (lawyer and independent researcher)
Misbah Ansari
Prashant Olalekar
Mileena Saju
Ikramah
Raj P. (journalist)
TanushreeGangopadhyay
Rema Kandaramath
Aparna Sundar (Independent Scholar)
Neha Nikam
Madiharakhangi
Amy Elangbam (M.A. MODM CHS)
Swatija Manorama
Swapna Liddle (Independent scholar)
Astha Sachan
Rishab Somani
Elizabeth Abraham, Kottayam, Kerala
Valenie
Khushboo Rohra
Rossi D’Souza
Rohan J
Rubeenakhatoon
Ankush Singh
Gajsujen
Shaibani Azam
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Md Salman Haider
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Nihar
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kalpana banhatti
Reena Mohan
Chirodeep Chaudhuri
Lucas
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Rakesh Gupa
Antara Dev Sen
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Sheeba Aslam
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Syed Saifullah (Advocate)
Dr Nayeem Khatib
Jashodhara Dasgupta
Mamta Singh (Social worker)
Atul Gurtu (Retired scientis)
Syed Shujath Mehdi (Advocate)
Muneer Ahmed
Pamela Philiposr (Journalist)
Mudabbir shaikh
Nivi Menon
Tariq Hasib
Niharika Banerjea
Anirban Das Blah
Debi K (writer and performer)
Aruna Burte
Roopashri Sinha (Freelance Researcher)
Heena Sinha (Ngo sector)
Pallavi Belkhede (NGO sector)
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Sunita S.
Seema Baquer (Cross Disability Consultant)
Ashiq Ahamed Chemmalasseri
Aman Irshad
Mariam
Souban Faridi
Ms. Sabreen Aslam Modak
Selina Sen (author and scriptwriter)
SadiyaBilgrami
Rita Puthenkalam
Ali Safeer Farooqi (lawyer)
Pavithra
Asha Sharma
Fióna Bolger (poet)
Asif Khan
Arshad Naseem
Akhileshwari Ramagoud (Journalist and Academic)
Shahin
Akif
Hal
Palakkalkabeer
Sheema
P Das
Anita Rao
Ashu
Shagufta Hakeem (Independent Scholar)
Shain
Noor Nisar
NikatFarooque
Bernadine Joseph
Sadhna Arya
Yaser
Arman
Gulshad
Usman
Shazeb
Sudha Bharadwaj
Ashish Kajla (Independent Researcher)
Amjad H Khan
Cherian Philip
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- Saheli Women’s Resource Centre, New Delhi
- Hindus for Human Rights ([email protected])
- Forum Against Oppression of Women
sandhyagokhale
Chayanika Shah
Ammu Abraham
Meena
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Rehan Khan
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Ms. V Saldanha
Raynah Braganza Passanha
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Manikandan A
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Maria
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Putul Sathe
Smriti Parhi
Dhwani
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BrinelleD’souza
Mohamed Rameez
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ChhayaDatar
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AchinVanaik
Shamayita Sen
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Aqsa Shaikh
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- University of Massachusetts
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