A new Hindutva

India is still, groaning under the covid-19 pandemic. Three to four thousand patients still succumb to the disease each day; the government’s premature claim of victory against the disease took a heavy toll. There are fuzzy reports about how far India has been able to get over black and white viruses and delta variety of the virus. The pandemic has brutally exposed the incompetence of the Indian Union as also of the state governments. It was an ugly sight to see dead bodies floating in the Ganges. Some persons dumping the dead bodies in the river were caught on camera. Greedy people, even doctors, stole injections and medicines from the hospitals. Black fungus was due to gas being refilled in dirty cylinders. Even fire extinguishers were repainted and sold as oxygen cylinders. Some doctors were brutally beaten by patients’ relatives.

The government is at best a silent spectator to the tragedy. The ebbs and flow in the pandemic did not result in the expected unity. A weakened administration is apathetic to the anti-Muslim upsurge raging alongside the pandemic. They are content that the fanatic Hindus are targeting the Muslim community, not the government itself.

The hate mongers enjoy political and administrative protection for their nefarious activities.  Two key Islamophobes deserve special mention. Suraj Pal Amu is a prolific contributor to Islamophobia social media. He was a BJP spokesperson in Haryana until 2019. Amu offered a bounty of Rs 10-crore bounty to behead actress Deepika Padukone for acting in a movie that had a romantic scene between a Hindu queen and Muslim king. Police took no action against him.

He was briefly arrested when his men burnt school buses demanding a ban on the movie, but there were no charges of terrorism and sedition, of the kind routinely used by Modi’s government against peaceful protestors and dissenters. In his speeches he eulogizes killers of a Muslim gym trainer, Asif.

Amid raging pandemic, there has been no let up in anti-Muslim frenzy in India. By the next elections, Islamophobia in India is likely to assume dangerous proportions.

Last month, in Haryana, he delivered a speech before an approving crowd of thousands in rural Haryana, a state ruled by his own BJP. He said, ‘They (Muslims) make nude photos of our sisters and daughters and we cannot even murder them? Those who try to stop this panchayat, we will kill them; whoever has drunk his mother’s milk can stop us. Muslim brothers? What brothers? These b------ds are butchers… they say Section 144 [prohibitory orders forbidding a gathering of more than five] is in place, or impose whatever orders you want, who is ready to face cases? Raise your hands…every Hindu has the ability to enter your home.”

Suraj Pal Amu is  bigoted Hindutva troll. He skulks behind a computer screen and rages against Muslims . He is an ardent supporter of Narendra Modi. Social-media giants like Twitter and Facebook are reluctant to block or act against him for fear of offending India’s ruling party. As such, Amu is becoming more and more fearless in spewing hatred against the Muslim community.

There is a raft of laws against incitement of hatred, besides Covid-era restrictions on public gatherings. But, no police officer dare arrest him. The BJP itself owes its electoral victories to unfounded allegations against the Muslim. The BJP leaders made Hindus believe their way of life was in danger.

Modi is content that the popular anger is directed at Muslims, not at his government for his failures. Under Modi, the economy was in decline before it was ravaged by Covid-19. He staged so-called surgical strikes against Pakistan to divert the electorate’s attention away from economic mismanagement. Add to Modi’s failure COVID mismanagement, his lack of vaccine planning, reluctance to work closely with states and refusal to listen to scientific counsel. He made fake claims about India’s inability to get vaccines quickly from abroad.

Dasna temple priest Narsinghanand Saraswati spews even more hatred against Islam than Amu. At a press conference, insulted the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

Belatedly, the Delhi Police registered an FIR against him for hurting religious sentiments with his remarks on the Prophet (PBUH) during a press conference in Delhi.

The FIR was lodged under IPC sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, residence, language etc) and 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs).

He challenged the police to dare arrest him.

Narsinghanand and the Dasna Devi Mandir were in news recently after a 14-year-old Muslim boy, who went inside to have some water, was assaulted by the priest’s disciple.

“Ye mandir Hinduon ka pavitra sthal hai, yahan Musalmanon ka pravesh varjit hai (This temple is a holy place for Hindus, Muslims’ entry is forbidden)”  reads the board outside the Dasna Devi Mandir, by order of Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati.

Amid raging pandemic, there has been no let up in anti-Muslim frenzy in India. By the next elections, Islamophobia in India is likely to assume dangerous proportions.