Indian authorities in Uttar Pradesh have demolished the homes of Muslims who were allegedly involved in protests last week in a reaction to the derogatory remarks made about the Prophet Muhammad PBUH by some figures from the ruling party.
Over the weekend, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh state, Yogi Adityanath, ordered authorities to demolish any illegal buildings and homes of people accused of involvement in protests there last week, the BJP’s state spokesperson said.
Accompanied by numerous policemen in riot gear, officials in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj city brought in bulldozers to demolish Afreen Fatima’s house, who is a female Muslim rights activist and daughter of the alleged mastermind of the riots. Social media was filled with outrage as people expressed their solidarity with Fatima and her family through the hashtag #StandwithAfreenFatima. Fatima stood out during countrywide protests led by Muslim groups to demand the abolition of a controversial citizenship law passed by the Modi government in late 2019 that creates a path to citizenship for non-Muslim migrants but exclude Muslims.
Properties of two more people were also demolished in the state, who were accused of throwing stones after Friday prayers while many media people recorded the demolition.
“Unruly elements remember, every Friday is followed by a Saturday,” tweeted Adityanath’s media adviser Mrityunjay Kumar with a photo of the bulldozer demolishing a building.
In recent weeks, Muslims from all over India have taken to the streets to protest against the anti-Islamic remarks made by two members, Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Some in India’s minority Muslim community see the comments as the latest instance of pressure and humiliation under BJP rule on issues ranging from freedom of worship to the wearing of hijab head scarves.
The BJP has suspended its spokeswoman Nupur Sharma while expelled Jindal, for the comments, saying their comments do not reflect the party’s views and directed its spokespeople to be “extremely cautious” on religious matters while speaking on news channels.
The derogatory remarks have also caused a diplomatic row between India with several Muslim countries.
Muslims of India have demanded their arrest, while some right-wing Hindu groups labeled them as brave and nationalist politicians.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has so far not commented on the communal unrest in the country.