By Anwarulhaq Baig
New Delhi–A disturbing wave of communal incidents, including anti-Muslim violence, lynchings, demolition of houses, hate crimes, and mob attacks, has swept across India in the weeks following the announcement of national election results on June 4th. Civil rights groups and politicians have expressed grave concerns about deteriorating conditions and the safety of religious minorities under the newly re-elected government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Human rights activists and minority leaders fear an emboldening of extremist elements following the BJP’s electoral victory. Despite the BJP’s weaker parliamentary majority, concerns persist that hardline Hindutva factions may escalate divisive communal politics.
The Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), a prominent civil liberties body, has documented numerous incidents of lynching, communal riots, and targeted demolitions of Muslim homes and businesses within just one month after the election results were declared. These brutal attacks, often carried out by self-proclaimed “cow vigilante” mobs, have resulted in multiple deaths and injuries.
Rising Lynchings and Mob Violence
In one of the most horrific cases, three Muslim men from Uttar Pradesh were fatally attacked by a Hindu mob in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, on June 7th. Saddam Qureshi, Chand Miya Khan, and Guddu Khan were transporting cattle when they were chased and beaten to death by the mob, which accused them of cow smuggling. Two of the men died on the spot, while the third succumbed to his injuries 10 days later.
Another gruesome lynching occurred in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, on June 18th, when 35-year-old Aurangzeb alias Farid was beaten to death by a group of Hindu men, sparking communal tensions in the city. In a disturbing turn, Aurangzeb and eight others were later booked by police for dacoity on June 29th, leading to accusations that authorities were criminalizing the victims.
The spate of mob killings has not been limited to accusations of cow smuggling. On June 22nd in Gujarat’s Anand district, 23-year-old Salman Vohra was beaten to death by a mob after attending a cricket tournament. Tensions had reportedly been escalating as Muslim players excelled in the tournament, which upset some locals associated with right-wing groups. The mob allegedly heckled Muslim players with Hindutva slogans like “Jai Shri Ram” before the fatal assault on Vohra, who had recently married and whose wife is pregnant.
West Bengal has also witnessed multiple lynching incidents. On June 26th, Irshad Alam, a 37-year-old TV repair shop worker, was tied up and beaten to death in central Kolkata. Just 24 hours later, 22-year-old Prasen Mandal was lynched in the Salt Lake area. In another incident in the state, a Muslim woman named Nehra Banu was assaulted by a mob in Barasat on June 19th after being falsely accused of child kidnapping.
In Uttar Pradesh, Dr. Istekhar, aged 25, was brutally assaulted by a mob allegedly linked to Hindutva groups in Moradabad on June 30. According to Dr. Istekhar’s account to the Observer Post, he was returning home from his clinic and stopped at a petrol pump near the Double Gate Bridge to refuel. Upon crossing the road, he was confronted by two individuals who asked his name before verbally abusing and attacking him. The mob swelled to around 25 people, with more arriving in a black car, intensifying the assault. Police intervention led to the arrest of 9 individuals, including Bunty Malik, though Dr. Istekhar stated he did not know his attackers personally.
In Rajasthan’s Churu district, two Hindu men from Haryana were attacked by approximately 20 cow vigilantes on the night of June 30. The victims, traders identified as Sonu Banshiram (29) and Sundar Singh (35), were transporting lemons in their pickup truck from Churu to Bhatinda, Punjab. Despite the truck’s cargo of lemons, they were accused of cow transportation. Police have detained seven individuals in connection with the incident.
Brutal Killings of Three Muslim Clerics in Separate Incidents Across India
In a series of disturbing events, three Muslim clerics were killed in separate incidents across India over the past month, raising concerns about targeted violence against religious leaders.
The first incident occurred on June 8th in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, where Maulana Farooq, a 65-year-old local functionary of the Jamiat Ulama Hind, was fatally attacked. Police suspect the attack was related to a monetary dispute. Farooq, who ran a madrasa in Kadipur village, had reportedly lent money to Chandramani Tiwari for purchasing land, but Tiwari sold the plot to someone else.
According to Farooq’s son, Mufti Mamoon, there had been no previous conflicts with Tiwari. On the morning of the incident, Tiwari called Farooq to his house in Sonpur village, ostensibly to discuss dividing a piece of land. Mamoon stated, “The next moment, the accused hit him hard on his head with an axe and iron rods. His head was profusely bleeding.” Farooq’s family claimed the accused had no prior conflicts with them and had even sought their help during Ramadan.
The second killing took place on June 11th in Moradabad District, Uttar Pradesh. Maulana Akram, the 45-year-old imam of Badi Masjid in Bhensia village, was shot dead by unidentified assailants. The attackers reportedly called Akram out of the mosque and shot him at point-blank range in the chest. Police investigations are ongoing, with Akram’s wife Aamna also being questioned regarding the incident.
The third and most recent case occurred on June 30th in Koderma district, Jharkhand. Maulana Shahabuddin, an imam of a mosque in Barakatha, was beaten to death following a minor traffic accident. Shahabuddin’s motorcycle allegedly collided with a woman named Anita Devi, causing minor injuries. Following the collision, Anita Devi’s husband, relatives, and some locals gathered at the spot and began assaulting Shahabuddin with batons and sticks.
The APCR in Jharkhand conducted a fact-finding mission into Shahabuddin’s death. Their report reveals conflicting accounts of the incident. While police claim it was a road accident exacerbated by Shahabuddin not wearing a helmet, his family and villagers allege it was a case of mob lynching motivated by communal hatred. Local AIMIM leader Suraj Das told The Observer Post that the assault occurred due to the victim’s Muslim identity.
The APCR is calling for the formation of a SIT to conduct an in-depth inquiry into Shahabuddin’s death. They argue that the sequence of events and witness statements point to a hate-motivated mob lynching rather than a simple traffic accident.
Communal Violence and Mob Attacks
The APCR report also documented several incidents of communal riots and mob violence targeting Muslim communities. In Telangana’s Medak district, clashes erupted between two communities on June 15th over the transportation of cows, resulting in an attack on a madrasa and local hospital that left several injured.
Odisha, where the BJP recently came to power, saw communal violence in multiple locations. In Balasore, a week-long curfew had to be imposed after riots broke out on June 17th over allegations of cow slaughter. In Khordha, mobs forcibly entered Muslim homes, confiscated freezers on suspicion of storing beef, and vandalized property.
Rajasthan, another state with a newly elected BJP government, witnessed tensions in Jodhpur. On June 22nd, clashes in the Jalori Gate area left at least 16 people injured, including four policemen, after disputes over religious flags. Just a day earlier, violence in Jodhpur’s Soor Sagar area resulted in two policemen being injured, 51 arrests, and damage to vehicles and shops.
In Himachal Pradesh’s Nahan town, a Muslim-owned textile shop was looted and vandalized by a mob on June 19th after its owner allegedly shared an image of animal sacrifice on social media. The tense atmosphere reportedly led around 16 other Muslim shopkeepers to flee the town.
Demolition of Houses as Punishments
Most alarmingly, several state governments have been accused of using housing demolitions as a form of collective punishment against Muslim communities following allegations of crimes or conflict. The APCR also listed several incidents of demolitions of Muslim houses within one month after the poll results.
In Madhya Pradesh’s Mandla district, authorities razed approximately a dozen homes belonging to Muslim residents. While officials claim the demolitions were due to illegal construction on government land, local reports suggest the action was taken under the pretext of alleged cow meat possession. The conflicting narratives have sparked debate about the true motivations behind the demolitions.
A similar situation unfolded in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam district, where authorities demolished the homes of four Muslim men shortly after detaining them on charges of throwing bovine remains at a temple in Jawra. The demolitions proceeded despite an ongoing hearing in the Madhya Pradesh High Court regarding a petition against the planned action. In a questionable move, the administration issued backdated demolition notices on June 16th, mere hours before carrying out the demolitions. Although the court granted a stay order at 2:30 PM, the houses had already been razed between 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM.
Uttar Pradesh saw large-scale demolitions as well, with a major operation in Lucknow’s Muslim-dominated Akbarnagar area. Officials reported the removal of at least 1,320 permanent and temporary structures deemed “illegal encroachments.” Notably, the demolitions included four temples, three mosques, and two madrassas, raising questions about the selective nature of the enforcement action.
In another contentious case, the Moradabad Development Authority (MDA) in Uttar Pradesh demolished six houses belonging to Muslim families accused of attempting to kidnap a Hindu woman. The incident, which occurred on June 28th, stemmed from allegations by the woman’s family that the Muslim family had tried to abduct their daughter on June 26th. Police statements indicate that the woman and the main suspect had married in May 2023, but her family opposed the union and subsequently married her to another man in June 2023. The couple had previously eloped to Rajasthan in March 2023, leading to a police complaint and the woman’s return by Sambhal Police. In an April 11 statement to police, the woman claimed she had gone willingly with the man, asserting her status as an adult.
The MDA maintains that the demolished buildings were constructed on common village land. However, local residents dispute this claim, arguing that only a meter-wide area had been encroached upon.
Rising Communal Violence, Incidents Draw Sharp Criticism from Leaders and Activists
The surge in communal violence and apparent targeting of Muslim communities has drawn sharp criticism from civil society groups and leaders. However, Prime Minister Modi and other politicians have thus far remained largely silent on the wave of anti-Muslim incidents.
Nadeem Khan, the national secretary of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights, expressed disappointment, stating, “It’s unfortunate that the political parties who sought Muslim votes are now silent. Not a single prominent opposition leader has spoken out about these recent lynching incidents.”
Asaduddin Owaisi, MP of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), highlighted in Parliament on July 1st that six Muslims were lynched and numerous homes were demolished in the month following the election results.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) also expressed deep concern, detailing several incidents and warning against the escalation of communal assaults after the BJP’s electoral setbacks in the Lok Sabha elections. They emphasized the BJP and Hindutva forces’ potential intensification of polarization efforts.
