Violence — a run-up to Lok Sabha polls

The recent years have marked India as a home to structural and direct violence, jeopardising its inclusive and secular ethos. The number of communal riots has multiplied in recent years, grabbing global attention. While the leaders are paying lip service for the damaged caused and lives lost, it is the government’s silence and the role of the incumbent political party, the BJP, which is raising unsettling queries. Since the Lok Sabha elections are around the corner, these recurrent communal incidents makes one wonder whether these under-investigated incidents are laying the foundations for the impending 2024 elections and if they are echoing the patterns observed during the 2019 general elections.

On comparing the current communal occurrences with 2019 election patterns, conclusions drawn are startling. The communal riots in mid-2018 and the Pulwama attack in February 2019 appeared to be a game changer for the BJP. Year 2018 was marked by most horrific communal riots. According to available accounts, 38 communal incidents took place, claiming 271 victims. Bihar riots were among the eminent ones and incited several adherents of Hindutva ideology. The Pulwama incident added salt to the injury, motivating young Hindu nationalists to rally behind the BJP, which was perceived as the guardian of the nation’s security against an “aggressor” neighbour.

Undoubtedly, the BJP has deployed the Hindutva ideology as a populist political tool. Since Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, framing exclusionary policies was a matter of routine. Implementation of policies such as Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) evidently showcases the perpetuation of the RSS ideology. While proponents of the BJP call these illicit acts a way to preserve national security, critics are concerned about the potential marginalisation of the Indian minorities. It is palpable that the recent communal disputes can be linked with the BJP’s political campaign for the upcoming elections.

Recent tragic communal episodes such as the Manipur violence, Jaipur-Mumbai train incident and Haryana communal riots have cast a dark shadow on Indian core secular principles. The eerie silence of the state over these tragic incidents is astonishing. These incidents appear to be originating from the Hindutva ideology and carried out by the Hindu extremists like Chetan Singh, Monu Manesar and abusers of Meitei community who proselytise and propagate hate against minorities. They label minorities as anti-nationals and aliens, making it difficult for them to exercise religious liberty. However, the lack of any action by the state against these perpetrators of hate crimes raises questions about the potential complicity or sponsorship of the state.

The conspicuous silence spanning months on the Manipur violence kept fanning the flames of grievances of Kuki community against the incumbent government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s delayed response only arrived when the video of two Kuki women went viral, augmenting the impression that of government apathy. A comparable situation was witnessed in the Jaipur Mumbai train incident, in which the deliberate targeting of Muslims by a fervent proponent of Hindutva, Chetan Singh, further deepened the sectarian divide in the country. Moreover, the Haryana incident led to fatal consequences due to administrative neglect.

Nuh district administration already predicted communal violence at Mewat. Law enforcement institutions were also aware of the presence of Monu Manesar in Yatra. This VHP Yatree was accused of lynching two Muslim men to death. Muslim community in Nuh saw this as their humiliation. The administration still allowed the Yatra to pass through Mewat, resulting in full-scale communal violence and dozens of fatalities.

The reverberating effects of these communal incidents fuelled communal tensions and diffusion of Hindu extremism across the country. Gurugram, in proximity to Nuh, fell next prey to fires of communal violence ignited in Nuh. The call to action by a Bajrang Dal leader, Neeraj Vat, provoked Hindu extremists to target Muslims in their areas, resulting in the destruction of property, burning down of buildings, and loss of lives. Surprisingly, all this happened in the NCR (The National Capital Region), Delhi, where no action by the law enforcement agencies or the district administration resulted in escalating situation.

These poorly contained communal incidents draw attention to the state’s intentional negligence and silent complicity in exacerbating the problem. Monu Manesar, Chetan Singh, the extremists in Gurugram and the Meitei community remain unanswerable for their heinous actions.

With the rising death toll from the inhumane incidents, it appears that the unfolding events in the upcoming days entail bleak prospects for Indian minorities. With the 2024 Lok Sabha elections six months away, it seems that the marginalised minorities are left vulnerable and unsupported. The patterns suggest that when the BJP contest elections, it hinges upon the hyper nationalistic rhetoric to galvanise the Hindu voter base, promoting Hindutva values that stand against the secular foundations of India.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 19^th, 2023.

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