- Six Killed in Sectarian Rioting Near India’s Capital
- Arson and Vandalism Attacks Reported in Gurugram
- Tensions Erupted After Hindu Nationalist Activist’s Declaration
Wednesday, following a second night of sectarian rioting that claimed the lives of six people, riot police were patrolling urban neighborhoods near the capital of India.
Mobs threw stones at a Hindu religious procession and set vehicles on fire in the predominantly Muslim district of Nu. Approximately 75 kilometers south of New Delhi, on Monday.
The following evening, arson and vandalism attacks broke out in sections of Gurugram, a satellite city of the capital and a key business hub where Nokia, Samsung, and other multinational corporations have their Indian headquarters.
While chanting Hindu religious slogans, a mob of approximately 200 individuals armed with sticks and stones looted several meat businesses and set fire to a restaurant in one neighborhood.
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said six people were killed and 116 arrested in the incident.
“Guilty parties will not be spared. We are dedicated to the public’s protection, he told reporters on Wednesday.
Two of the dead were security officers on their way to Nuh to suppress protests, state police announced Tuesday.
As a precautionary measure, the police in New Delhi have heightened security in certain neighborhoods.
According to local media reports, tensions erupted after prominent Hindu nationalist activist Monu Manesar, a member of the radical right-wing group Bajrang Dal, declared he would attend the procession in Nuh on Monday.
Police are seeking for Manesar for lynching two Muslim cattle dealers in another Haryana region.
Hindus revere cows, and the vigilante group’s leader makes films applauding Muslims accused of transporting or slaughtering them.
According to the police, Manesar avoided detention and did not join the procession.
Since the 2014 inauguration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has experienced numerous outbreaks of violence between its majority Hindu population and its 200-million-strong Muslim minority.
Since assuming power, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has been accused of marginalizing the Muslim community.
In 2020, religious riots in New Delhi claimed 53 lives.
In 2002, at least one thousand people were murdered in Gujarat, where Modi was serving as chief minister. The majority of victims were Muslims.
Also in 2012, an investigation commissioned by India’s highest court found no evidence of malfeasance by Modi.
