Violent clashes, but kindness too
THE spate of violence in Delhi has largely targeted Muslims, according to reports.
However, Hindus and Muslims are among the dead.
Violence erupted after clashes between pro and anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protesters.
The CAA was passed by the Indian Parliament in December.
It provided a path to Indian citizenship for illegal migrants of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian religious minorities, who had fled persecution from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan before December 2014. Muslims from those countries were not given such eligibility.
The law has been largely criticised as discriminating against Muslims and an attempt by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to impose a Hindu nationalist agenda on India.
Calling out Modi’s government Many sectors, public and political, have called out Modi and his government for fuelling anti-Muslim sentiment and for not doing anything to speak out against the recent acts of violence.
Opposition party, the Indian National Congress, raised concern over the Delhi riots in Parliament on Monday and demanded Modi speak about the issue.
The party staged a protest on parliament’s premises, demanding a debate before moving on to another issue.
The most Modi has said on the situation, at the time of going to print, was via a Tweet before the weekend’s flare-up. “Peace and harmony are central to our ethos. I appeal to my sisters and brothers of Delhi to maintain peace and brotherhood at all times. It is important that there is calm and normalcy is restored at the earliest.”
The New York Times reported that Modi’s policies have “lit a fuse” in India: “Many Indians believed it was only a matter of time before Hindu nationalism provoked the kind of bloodshed that exploded in New Delhi.”
The Washington Post reported that India’s capital was grappling with the aftermath of “the worst communal violence in Delhi in decades”.
Modi’s government defends itself The Indian government has previously publicly accused detractors of spreading misinformation about the CAA.
On Sunday, Kishan Reddy, the Minister of State for Home Affairs and member of the BJP, said the government was determined to unveil the conspiracy, if any, that triggered the riots.
Reddy reportedly reiterated that the CAA was not aimed at taking away citizenship of any Indian, but was enacted to give citizenship to minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who suffered persecution on religious grounds.
Humanity amid the storm
As much as news of attacks from both ends of the spectrum are dominating headlines, there are a few reports about humanity taking the lead in the middle of the violence.
● The Washington Post reported an incident in which a Muslim family was attacked in north-east Delhi when their Hindu neighbours helped them.
“Rioters armed with rods and sticks surged into her lane in north-east Delhi last week looking for Muslim homes. Parveen, 26 years old and nine months pregnant, said they broke down the door, punched and beat her, yelled abuse and told her family to get out. Then they destroyed everything inside.
“A Hindu neighbour sheltered the family for the night, but urged them to flee to a Muslim area as soon as they could.”
● Al Jazeera reported on its website that Hindu and Muslim families in Delhi were sharing in the grief.
They interviewed two families who lost loved ones in mob attacks – one Muslim the other Hindu.
Both said they believed the attackers were outsiders and they had lived in their community for decades in peace.
“Interfaith solidarity on display as people mourn the loss of their kin as death toll in Delhi violence rises,” said the report.
● Thewire.in reported how Muslim and Hindu neighbours at Chand Bagh, one of the worst-affected areas, protected each other through the night.
“We gathered the people of the neighbourhood and decided that nobody was going to fight,” said the report, quoting a Muslim resident.
A Hindu resident said: “We were here in ’92 as well, and we’ve all lived together and we never fight. We visit each other and go to each other’s weddings.
“We have no problems with any of our neighbours. For the past two days, it is not just Muslims whose lives have been affected, both sides have been troubled by this violence.”