September 2022 bore witness to a series of atrocities against Muslims during Ganesh procession and Dussehra festivities. The festivities were more than a mere celebration of Hinduism; they exemplified how Hindu festivals become a ground to further hate against minorities in India.
This article is a part of Siasat.com’s monthly hate-crime tracker which chronicles atrocities against Muslims in India.
1 September: Outrage broke out on Twitter over a screenshot of a request by a Swiggy customer in Hyderabad who did not “want a Muslim delivery person”.
Following the outrage, the company on September 2 responded that the assignment of orders is entirely automated. The food delivery app also mentioned that attempts are being made to validate the authenticity of the screenshot.
11 September: Communal violence erupted on Thursday, September 10, during a Mahavir Akhara procession in Bihar’s Siwan district, prompting the arrest of a 70-year-old man and an eight-year-old Muslim minor boy along with many others.
The march, which passed by a mosque, was made up of saffron-clad males who were reportedly armed with clubs and shouted communal sentiments. This allegedly resulted in stone pelting in Barharia’s Purani Bazar neighbourhood.
11 September: A Ganesh visarjan procession, organised under the banner of the Hindu Mahasabha Ganesha Visarjan Committee by Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, in Sirguppa of Ballary in Karnataka witnessed a large number of Hindu devotees.
As the procession passed by the Soudagar Sunni masjid, located in the Muslim-populated area of Sirguppa, an alleged member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) flung his slipper towards the mosque, which was recorded by cameras nearby.
12 September: A video surfaced on Twitter showing a procession celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi playing songs with provocative words.
The words, “Khoon Se Iss Dharthi Ko Ham Nehlayenge, Hum Tujhko Teri Awkat Batayenge (We will bathe this earth with blood, will show you your social standing.)” was repeatedly played in front of Mehbus Masjid in Gulbarga, Karnataka on loudspeakers. Thousands of Hindu devotees can be seen dancing and enjoying the song, which is clearly targetting Muslims.
14 September: Muslim men travelling from West Bengal to Ajmer in a bus faced the ire of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) men on September 13 when they were ‘punished’ for offering namaz by the side of the road.
The incident came to light when a video surfaced where a group of visibly scared Muslim men are seen holding their ears and kneeling before a group of Hindu men.
15 September: According to the ‘India Discrimination Report 2022’, which highlights bias in accessing jobs, livelihoods and agricultural credits among others, 15.6 per cent of the urban Muslim population aged 15 and above were engaged in regular salaried jobs whereas 23.3 per cent of non-Muslims were in regular salaried jobs, in 2019-20.
“The low employment for urban Muslims attributes 68 per cent to discrimination. In 2019-20, 70 per cent of the difference between Muslim and non-Muslim engaged as salaried workers was due to discrimination,” it said.
28 September: In an incident reported from Madhya Pradesh’s Singrauli district, a mob attacked a few Muslim men over alleged cattle theft. The victims tried to move the cattle which were blocking the road.
The incident occurred in Deosar Tehsil of Singrauli district on September 21. The victims were travelling in a van when they stopped to move the cattle. The accused suspected that the men were trying to steal the cattle and attacked them. The victims including a a minor boy, amounted to seven people all in all.
28 September: A 19-year-old Muslim man was hacked to death in Jharkhand by his two Hindu friends allegedly for befriending the latter’s sister, on September 25. The case came to light on the 28 of the month.
The murder took place in Rutu district when the victim Shahbaz Ansari had gone out with the two accused – Omprakash Mahto (25) and Sushant Nayak (25). Soon the trio got into a fight leading to Mahto and Nayak hitting Ansari on his head. He died on spot.
(Note: This is in no way an exhaustive list. The hate crime tracker for the months of January, February, March, April, May, June, July and August can be accessed below.)
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