A Hindu man was arrested on Saturday for assaulting a Muslim boy for drinking water at a temple in a city near India’s capital New Delhi. The attack took place in Ghaziabad. It’s a town in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, some 33 kilometers (20 miles) from the capital.
The accused, Shringi Nandan Yadav, was apprehended after a disturbing video of the brutal assault was widely shared on social media.
The clip shows Yadav asking the victim, Asif, his name and mercilessly thrashing him.
“We have arrested one person after the video went viral on social media. We are investigating to find out the exact reason for such behavior,” Varun Kumar told Anadolu Agency. He is the public relations officer for the Ghaziabad Police.
Violence against Muslims and other minority communities has become increasingly frequent in India. The situation is bad since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Prime Minister Modi, came to power in 2014.
“Attacks continued against minorities, especially Muslims. Authorities have failed to take action against BJP leaders who vilified Muslims. Even against BJP supporters who engaged in violence,” Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in its World Report 2021.
Watch the video here
WARNING: Some viewers may find the content of this video disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.
Violence against Muslims & other minority communities
A particularly jarring episode was the communal violence that broke out in New Delhi last February. In the riots, at least 53 people lost their lives. More than 200 people suffered injuries. They also lost their properties. A majority of them were Muslims. Many communities had to leave their homes after targeted attacks by Hindu mobs, according to HRW.
The violence in Delhi was planned and targeted. A report by the Delhi Minorities Commission said the police filed cases against Muslim victims for the violence. But not taking action against the BJP leaders who incited it.
Earlier this month, American watchdog Freedom House downgraded India’s status from a “free” country to a “partly free” country.
In 2020, a mob in Indian attacked a Muslim man. They later burnt him to check if he was dead. Horrific, indeed but not shocking.
The group’s Freedom in the World report noted the “rising violence and discriminatory policies affecting the Muslim population” in BJP’s India. Leading BJP leader Subramanian Swamy also thinks that Indian Muslims don’t deserve equal rights.
