Even in these dark times, one can see bright rays of communal harmony. One only hopes these trends are encouraged and divisive loudmouths are punished, writes Dr Ram Puniyani for South Asia Monitor
By Dr Ram Puniyani Apr 19, 2022
A scooter destroyed in the Jahangirpuri violence (Photo: Youtube)
The mid-April incidents on the Hindu religious festivals of Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti were very disturbing, to say the least. On Ram Navami, the major incidents which shook the country were in Khambata and Himmat Nagar, Gujarat; in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh; in Gulbarga, Raichur and Kolar, Karnataka; in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh; and in Islampura, Goa. These are few among the nationwide spread of the incidents.
The Khargone incident stands out for the shocking step taken by the state government in demolishing nearly 51 structures (shops and residences) of the minority community. The charge leveled was that the stones were thrown from these places; so as per the state home minister, these structures had to be turned into stones. Meanwhile, the new pretext of breaking the backbone of the Muslim community has been propped up as Muslim traders will not be permitted near Hindu temples and at Hindu ‘melas’ (fairs).