Sajjad Shaukat
INDIAN extremist Prime Minister Narendar Modi’s new anti-Muslim moves such as the continued lockdown in the India-occupied Kashmir (IoK) after abrogation of the special status of the Jummu and Kashmir in a malevolent attempt to turn Muslim majority into minority in the IOK, the Indian Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 (CAA), passed by the Indian Parliament, encouragement of the ruling party BJP, including other Hindu fundamentalist outfits to target the religious minorities, particularly Muslims and acceleration of assaults on the Muslims have clearly proved that he had led the genocide of the Muslims in 2002. In fact, the CAA/NRC is mainly against the Muslim immigrants especially from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Besides other religious minorities, it strips 200 million Indian Muslims of their citizenship. Despite criticism of the foreign entities, particularly the UN and moderate Hindus in the wake of violent protests which resulted into killing of more than 50 persons and injuring 300-mostly Muslims by the police and Hindu fanatics, Modi-led regime has not withdrawn the CAA/NRC. It is notable that in the Indian general elections of 2019, the BJP won huge majority in the Lok Sabha, with 21 seats more than it won in the 2014 elections. During the election-campaign, Hindu majority was mobilized on ‘hate Muslim’ slogans and ‘anti-Pakistan’ jargons. Indian P.M. Modi’s extremist party BJP had also got triumph in the Indian elections 2014 on the basis of anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistan slogans.
In the aftermath of the election 2019, news reports have highlighted different cases in which Dalits and [especially] Muslims were violently targeted for reasons as varied as allegedly possessing beef, protesting against caste-based discrimination or simply being Muslim. However, more than 2500 Muslims were massacred in the end of February 2002 in the BJP-ruled Indian state of Gujara. The 2002 Gujarat riots, which started on 27 Feb, were a three-day period of communal violence in the Indian state of Gujarat by extremist Hindus under the guidance and command of the Indian Prime Minister Narinder Modi who was Chief Minister of Gujarat and mastermind the genocide of the Muslims. In the BJP-ruled Indian State of Gujarat, horrible scenes of arson, mutation and rape were perpetrated by the Hindu extremists against the unarmed Muslims. Regarding that massive genocide, both Human Rights Watch in 2002 and Amnesty International in 2003 charged the “Gujarat state administration” for involvement in “a massive cover-up of the state’s role in that massacres” and pointed out numerous police officials—specifically ministers, high officials and leaders of the fundamentalist parties such as RSS, VHP, BJP and Bajrang Dal as participants. In this respect, Rana Ayub in his book, “Gujarat files-Anatomy of A Cover-up” and Manoj Mitha in his book, “The Fiction of Fact Finding”, and Sreekumar in his Book “Gujarat behind the Curtain” have proved Modi’s involvement in the genocide of the Muslims in Gujarat.
In this connection, following Gujarat riots in 2002 and State collusion, a US Commission for international religious freedom (USCIRF) established that the then Gujarat Chief Minister Modi was linked to communal riots in a significant way. It also pointed to Modi’s ministerial colleague Maya Kodnani’s full involment in the massacre of Muslims. Following its findings, the Commission recommended a US visa ban for Modi. Notably, a report of the British High Commission in India said that the pogrommes in Gujarat in 2002 “had all the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing and reconciliation between Hindus and Muslims is impossible, while the Chief Minister Modi remains in power…Far from being spontaneous…this massacre was planned, possibly months in advance, carried out by extremist Hindu organisations with the support of the state government headed by Modi.” Meanwhile, various investigations failed in showing the real culprits of Hindu terrorism in Gujarat, as they were high officials or police officers of the Indian government. Therefore, the Supreme Court of India had ordered a fresh probe on 25 March 2008, but the same also remains inconclusive due to concealment of evidence against the culprits who are members of the dominating political parties of the country. Since the BJP-led Modi became Indian Prime Minister, covert interference of his government and those of the fundamentalist parties—BJP and RSS in the investigations of Gujarat riots have kept the case under carpet.
Despite eye witness testimony, implicating the highest elected political officials, justice continues to evade the victims. In the recent past, 70 accused persons of Gujarat pogrom were set free by the court. On 28 January 2020, the Supreme Court granted bail to 14 convicts of 2002 Gujarat riots. Thus gave a clean chit to Modi. It is noteworthy that the US government had denied visa to Modi on the basis of his involvement in Gujarat pogrom, however, after he became Indian Prime Minister, the stance of American government changed to his favour. It shows double standard of America. Hindu politics and culture, dominated by the extremist parties such as BJP, VHP, Shiv Sena and RSS, including other extremist outfits have been propagating Hindutva (Hindu nationalism). It is of particular attention that PM Narendra Modi, the then Chief Minister of Gujarat who masterminded and led the Muslim massacre has, reportedly, destroyed all the documents related to the 2002 genocide of the Muslims. Keeping Modi’s past and present record, it can be forecast easily that minorities in India will face further persecution and barbarity at the hands of Hindu extremists and more incidents of Gujarat-like riots will take place, if Modi remains in power.
—The writer is freelance columnist based in Lahore.
