Nupur Sharma: Houses of Muslims demolished in Uttar Pradesh after protests
Authorities in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) have demolished the houses of some Muslims who were allegedly linked to religious protests that turned violent.
The protests were sparked by derogatory remarks made by two former leaders of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) about the Prophet Muhammad.
The demonstrations turned violent in some states as people damaged property.
More than 300 people were arrested in UP.
Local authorities demolished three Muslim-owned houses over the weekend, alleging that they had been illegally constructed – a claim denied by some of the owners.
The demolitions triggered condemnation from opposition leaders, who accused the state government – headed by chief minister Yogi Adityanath – of targeting the minority Muslim community.
Critics say religious polarisation has deepened in India since 2014 when the Hindu nationalist BJP came to power. Hate speech and attacks against Muslims have risen sharply over the past few years.
A tweet from Mrityunjay Kumar, Mr Adityanath’s media adviser, also sparked outrage. He had tweeted a photo of a bulldozer demolishing a building, adding: “Unruly elements remember, every Friday is followed by a Saturday.”
Two of the destroyed houses belonged to people who were accused of throwing stones after Friday prayers.
The third was that of a politician named Javed Ahmed, who has been accused of planning the protests. His daughter, Afreen Fatima, is a prominent Muslim rights activist who had participated in the protests against a controversial citizenship law.
A former chief justice of the Allahabad high court said that the demolition of Mr Ahmed’s house was “totally illegal”.
“Even if you assume for a moment that the construction was illegal, which by the way is how crores of Indians live, it is impermissible that you demolish a house on a Sunday when the residents are in custody,” former Chief Justice Govind Mathur said.
SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES