18 Jul. 24: The National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) on Tuesday strongly condemned the horrific spree of mob lynchings of minorities across the country following the Lok Sabha election results on June 4. NAPM alleged that these lynchings under the BJP government represent systemic violence against religious minorities and caste-oppressed communities, with active state support. It also criticized opposition parties for their silence on these atrocities.
NAPM demanded a fair investigation, stringent and prompt action against the perpetrators, and complete support, safety, and compensation for the aggrieved families. It also called for the withdrawal of FIRs filed against UP-based journalists for merely reporting on mob lynchings. The group emphasized the need for united resistance against hateful communal politics, mob lynching of religious minorities, and caste-based oppression across the country.
Over the past month and a half, there have been reports of more than 13 cases of mob lynching across different states, including Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Jharkhand. NAPM condemned the complicity of state administration and the police in protecting perpetrators and targeting religious minorities and caste-oppressed people.
NAPM expressed outrage that instead of taking swift action against mob lynching, the Uttar Pradesh government chose to crack down on journalists Zakir Ali Tyagi, Wasim Akram Tyagi, Asif Rana, Saif Allahabadi, and Ahmed Raza Khan for merely reporting these incidents.
Mob lynchings have been a defining feature of the decade-long BJP government rule at the Centre, a direct result of the hate-fueled communal politics the party relies on to garner votes. NAPM blamed Prime Minister Modi’s hate speeches during the election campaign for further aggravating the communal situation in the country.
NAPM emphasized that mob violence is a result of years of communal politics by the BJP and RSS, which exclude religious minorities and caste-oppressed groups with genocidal intent towards Muslims in India. A recent Yale University study found that the BJP gains electorally from incidents of conflict and violence, including lynchings and pogroms.
Political scientists Gareth Nellis, Michael Weaver, and Steven Rosenzweig found that while Hindu-Muslim riots are electorally costly for Congress, they strengthen ethno-religious parties like the BJP. Their study revealed that the election of a single Congress MLA in a district reduced the probability of a riot by 32% before the next election. Simulations showed that if Congress candidates had lost all close elections in their dataset, India would have faced 10% more riots and thousands more riot casualties.
NAPM condemned the BJP government’s fascist “bulldozer justice” policies, which have led to the selective demolition of houses belonging to Muslims. In Nuh, Haryana, all demolished buildings belonged to Muslims, many of whom were landless and poor workers. NAPM described these demolitions as criminal activities that deprive people of their right to a dignified life.
NAPM also criticized opposition parties for their silence on these targeted attacks on minority communities. Despite Muslims voting en masse for the INDIA alliance, only Left parties spoke against these violent acts.
In response to the increasing cases of mob lynching and selective demolition of Muslim houses, NAPM called for a united democratic resistance to state-sponsored communal politics.
NAPM demanded fair investigation and stringent legal action in all cases of mob lynching, and communal and caste-based violence; compensation and legal assistance for the surviving victims or family members of the deceased; immediate withdrawal of FIRs against journalists reporting on mob lynchings; strict compliance with the July 17, 2018 SC judgment on mob lynchings; effective preventive measures against lynchings; high-level monitoring of all mob-lynching and communal violence cases to ensure fairness; and strict action against media groups spreading hate and fueling communal tensions and mob lynchings.
