NEW DELHI: Extremist elements linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are operating with impunity in India, making life increasingly difficult for religious minorities, according to media reports.
Recent violent incidents in the states of Rajasthan and Bihar have once again exposed what critics describe as the grim reality behind India’s claims of secularism.
An Indian publication reported that in Bihar, a Muslim laborer, Narshid Alam, was brutally assaulted by alleged RSS-linked extremists.
During the attack, the victim was reportedly forced to chant slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai.” Social activist Ziaul Haq told the newspaper that Narshid Alam was in critical condition and currently battling for his life in hospital.
In a video statement, Narshid Alam said he was coerced into chanting controversial religious slogans by Hindu extremists. Separately, British media outlet 5 Pillars reported another incident in Rajasthan, where an elderly Muslim man was allegedly subjected to severe violence by Hindutva extremists on the basis of false accusations.
Indian journalist Waqar Hasan stated that RSS-affiliated mobs dragged a Muslim citizen through the streets after accusing him of consuming beef and branding him as a Bangladeshi.
Local residents maintained that the incident was neither the result of a personal dispute nor an accident, but part of an organized campaign of violence allegedly carried out under political patronage.
Analysts warn that incidents of violence against Muslims in India are on the rise, while sections of what critics term the “Godi media” are accused of promoting Islamophobia and amplifying hate-driven Hindutva politics.
The growing frequency of such attacks has raised serious concerns among human rights observers about the safety and rights of minorities in the country.
