By: Annum Shehryar
One of the most terrifying examples of Muslim genocides in India was the Gujrat riots that took place on February 27th, 2002, for a period of 3 days which was led by India’s Prime minister, Narendra Modi. During this genocide, more than 2000 Muslims were killed. According to some reports, this attack was planned by Modi who was the Chief Minister of Gujrat where telephonic conversations were leaked where he and government officials had reportedly given orders to start the genocide. The government had also allegedly provided rioters with properties that were owned by Muslims.
What happened was that an express train had arrived in a station located in a state of Gujrat, which had a large number of Hindu pilgrims who were returning from the birthplace of the god Rama at Ayodhya (where, a few years ago, angry Hindu mobs destroyed the Babri mosque, which they say to be on top of Rama 's remains). The pilgrimages, like many others in recent times, aimed at forcefully building a temple over the disputed site and at the mood of the returning passengers, disappointed by the government and courts in their aims, were angry about it. At the station, the passengers began to argue with Muslim vendors and passengers. A while later, the train was set on fire, killing 58 men, women, and children who were mostly Hindus. Many revealed that it was an accident as no evidence was found linking the Muslim perpetrators to this incident.
This event was what sparked the whole riot as a wave of violence had spread throughout the state. The attackers being Hindus, most of them were highly politicized as they were shouting Hindu right slogans. The victims were mostly Muslims. These victims had no connection with the alleged perpetrators of the incident; they were all innocent men, women, and children. Their houses, cars, and properties were destroyed, they were killed near or in their homes, and young children were also immolated along with their families. These anti-Muslim acts have undoubtedly exposed Modi’s extremist intentions against Muslims and his excuse to use the train incident to justify mass murder and torture against them. More than 2,500 Muslims were massacred in the BJP-ruled Indian state of Gujarat at the end of February 2002. The 2002 Gujarat riots were a three-day period of communal violence by radical Hindus in the Indian state of Gujarat under the direction and order of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was then Gujarat's chief minister and the suspected mastermind of the Muslim genocide.
(TRIGGER WARNING) (Further content contains abuse, sexual harassment, r*pe)
The violence committed against these innocent victims was extremely vile and gruesome. The number of r*pes and gang r*pes against women had increased at an alarming rate. They were tortured to death; men and children were mutilated and burnt alive. A Sikh had also confessed through a telephone recording on how he had cut open a pregnant woman’s body and pulled the fetus out of her stomach while she was alive. A mother’s infant was taken away from her and had her skull crushed against a rock. 8 other women in her family were r*ped and killed, including her. So many children had to witness their parents getting mutilated in front of them, not even infants were spared.
The Indian constitution guarantees minority rights but the ideology of Hindutva and Hindu nationalism still prevails today. The BJP-led Hindu majority has shown utter disregard for this and has committed crimes and cruelties with impunity against Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, and Dalits. The US government had denied Modi visa because of his involvement in this genocide, but ever since he had become the Prime minister, the stance of the government had changed in his favor. It has always been quite clear that if an extremist like Modi remains in power, rights of minorities in India will be violated and these people would continue to face such barbaric and inhumane acts by his supporters.
(Image from here.)
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