Muslims and rights groups have interpreted the disaster as a punishment for protests following comments by a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP. The home of one of the alleged rioters, whose daughter is a Muslim Muslim rights activist, was demolished in Prayagraj on Sunday, and the property of two other people accused of throwing stones after Friday prayers was also demolished in Uttar Pradesh. Pradesh. . Reuters reported that a BJP spokesman said at the weekend that Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath had ordered officials to demolish any illegal facilities and homes of people accused of involvement in riots there last week. However, state officials on Monday insisted it happened because at least one of the houses was built illegally on public land. “We are not demolishing houses to prevent Muslims from protesting, as they have every right to take to the streets,” said an aide to Uttar Pradesh’s hard-line Hindu leader. Muslims have protested in several Indian states in recent weeks against the anti-Islamic comments of two BJP members. Inter-communal violence has erupted, with clashes between protesters and police in several areas. It comes at a time when many Muslims in India are questioning their place in society since Monti came to power in 2014. Picture: The ruins of the house as the demolition was nearing its end Critics say his BJP is often deliberately controversial, promoting the idea that India is a Hindu country, despite the fact that the Constitution states that India is a secular nation. Many Muslims see the actions of Hindu nationalists, which may include rounding up anti-nationalist opponents, as an attempt to marginalize them, even though Muslims make up 13% of India’s population. The city where the demolition took place was renamed in 2018 by the BJP-led state government from Allahabad to Prayagraj, angering BJP opponents. Mr Modi did not comment on recent controversial statements, although countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Iran, India’s major trading partners, have lodged diplomatic protests. Leaders of prominent Islamic groups and mosques on Monday called on their fellow Muslims to suspend plans for further demonstrations and to refrain from large-scale rallies. Last week, two Muslim teenagers were killed and 30 others were injured in protests. Malik Aslam, a senior member of the Jamaat e Islami Hind, a Muslim organization active in many Indian states, said: “It is the duty of every Muslim to be together when one despises Islam, but at the same time it is crucial to keep the peace. . “ Earlier this month, a BJP spokesman made one of the most insulting remarks in a televised debate. The other comment that upset Muslims was made by a party representative on social media. The BJP suspended one and expelled the other, and the party said it had denounced any insult to any religion, but that did not stop angry Muslims from taking to the streets in anger. Police in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Sunday arrested a young man for posting a video threatening to behead an official who commented on social media, officials said. At least 400 suspected rioters have been arrested during riots in several states and a curfew has been imposed.
