Indian police have beaten Muslims accused of disrupting Hindu religious events.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, GANDHINAGAR – Nine Muslims are serving sentences of public caning by police in the western Indian state of Gujarat. They were accused of throwing stones at a Hindu religious event.
A video of this police flogging was posted online and quickly went viral on social media. For this, criticism has also emerged from politicians and civil rights activists.
Stone throwing was reported during Garba event during Navratri celebrations in Undhela village, Kheda district of Gujarat on Monday (10/03/2022). The event took place at a place near the mosque.
Garba is a type of dance performed during Navratri, the festival Hindu in honor of the Hindu goddess Durga. Police said at least six people were injured in the stone throwing.
Posted in World TRT, Thursday (06/10/2020), police arrested these nine people for allegedly throwing stones. However, instead of bringing them to justice, they were brought to the village.
In the video that went viral, the Muslim men were then tied to a pole and publicly whipped by police, to cheers from local residents. Those who attended this demonstration reportedly waved religious slogans.
“A group of young Muslims tried to disrupt the celebrations in the village. These young Muslims objected to the celebration taking place near the mosque,” Deputy Superintendent of Police VR Bajpai told reporters. According to the police, a complaint was lodged against 43 people at the Matar police station and 13 people were arrested.
Meanwhile, a member of the Gujarat Legislative Council from the opposition Congress party, Gyasudding Sheikh, demanded action against the police.
“The government must take immediate action against the police involved in the beating. The police have no right to do this against the accused in public,” he said.
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Another Congress leader, Karti P Chidambaram, wrote his opinion on Twitter and criticized the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
He said they changed India became a Hindutva (Hindu fundamentalist) state. “What’s the next step, public beheading?” And the singing? he asked.
In a statement, the Muslim American Council of India (IAMC) also criticized the police action.
“Police in Gujarat state, controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party, beat nine Muslim men in public and a cheering crowd chanted the slogan ‘Hail Mother India’. It is cruel, inhumane and forbidden by international human rights law,” the statement said. .
