The protests that began in December, which spread across India following the new citizenship law discriminating against Muslims, continues to escalate.
Last week, over 40 demonstrators were killed and 200 wounded as Hindu mobs attacked Muslims who were continuing the nationwide protests against the citizenship law.
In addition to police and security forces using drones to identify and then accost protesters, mobs of nationalistic Hindu protagonists set fire to Muslim homes, businesses, and four of New Delhi’s mosques.
According to many witnesses, the police stood by and did nothing to prevent the mobs from attacking Muslim demonstrators and raiding Muslim homes, beating people with blunt instruments.
A physician at a New Delhi hospital said, “There were so many people brought in dead on the spot in ambulances, cars and bikes. There were so many injuries. They were beaten up with iron rods and sticks.”
The attacking mobs were primarily members of Hindu Sena, who have been part of the anti-Muslim hate campaign encouraged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party over the past few months.
Timing is Everything
The timing of the recent rise in violence coincided with President Trump’s visit to India, where he was center stage at the nation’s 110,000 seat Motera Stadium. The president entered the huge stadium as the Village People’s hit song, “Macho Man” blared through the loudspeakers.
Trump praised Mr. Modi as a leader who promoted religious freedom even as videos were circulating on social media showing New Delhi police encouraging a group of Hindu supremacists to attack Muslim protesters while standing by as they set vehicles, buildings, and mosques on fire.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: President Trump praised Modi for championing tolerance stating, “They have really worked hard on religious freedom. We talked about it for a long time and I really believe that’s what he wants.”
In contrast, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom criticized the Modi government for failing to protect Muslims, stating, “The brutal and unchecked violence growing across the Delhi cannot continue.”
