The religious festivals of India are celebrated enthusiastically at home and are world famous everywhere. Crowd, colour, oppression, enthusiasm. Not to mention hatred, obscenity, bloodshed and broken bones. There was probably a time when it was considered a boon that the fasting days of Navratras and Ramzan coincided closely with the look of the month. A combination that may prompt observant Hindus and Muslims to reflect on their cultural similarities or even their common humanity.
It’s not that time. This is not that country. Instead, we had a slow-paced pile-up of Hindu-Muslim conflicts, which spread across our land in a regrettable sequence that we may not have seen since the days of the Rath Yatra in 1990. Nothing about it is a coincidence, of course. In fact, with a gap of so many decades, it’s hard to ignore the foregoing malpractices in this gloomy itinerary: from boycotting Muslim vendors in Karnataka, butchers in NCR, to flag-waving motorcycle gangs who are trying to make ends meet. In a display of masculinity, stones were thrown and bullets were fired as they walked through the narrow streets of a certain community. Yes, ‘a certain community’, ‘narrow streets,’ ‘temple-mosque’ – it doesn’t take much to invoke Miss en Seine of this badly familiar narrative. We know that riots are not just ‘happening’, this polarization is political. Our eyes are trained to scan suspiciously headlines for names that would betray the religious affiliation of the latest victim or perpetrator in the morning newspapers. And we have learned to cling to ourselves about the historical wounds of our wounded civilization. many invaders. Divide and rule us.
Ramnavami-Hanuman Jayanti riots have focused on ‘weaponisation’ of festivals
The thing is, they don’t rule us anymore, do they? Yet after more than seven years of a powerful Hindutva government in New Delhi, the spirit of lasting grudge against Muslims remains fresh. For the politics of ‘appeasement’, for Kashmiri separatism, for Islamic fundamentalism, for song and dance about the hijab. So why did the Ram Navami-Ramadan riots create so much panic? Perhaps it was the ‘weaponization’ of festivals (quite literally the sudden display of swords and firearms on display) or the explosion of a ruthless extremist ‘fringe’ of saints and sadhus, a self-appointed vanguard of militant majoritarianism. Do these incidents indicate an escalation of communal enmity, indicating a deepening of the ‘Great Partition’? Or are we witnessing just another episode of our country’s perversely punctuated balance?
This week, we turned to several prominent, politically engaged voices to ask what signs they see in a boiling communal cauldron. Their responses, which range from gloom to silent warnings, are far from expected, but they do suggest that this festival of hatred has given pause for thought at either end of the polarized political spectrum. As peace returns—the roar of vengeful bulldozers, a ban on religious processions, a strong armed police presence on the streets and surveillance drones above, there is a disturbing realization that we are being taught to be grateful for order and authority. .
hate in prayer time
Illustration by Tanmay Chakraborty
Hijab
The controversy over the hijab began on January 1 at the Government PU College in Udupi, Karnataka, when six girl students claimed that they were not allowed to enter classes wearing hijabs. His protest against the college authorities soon became a nationwide movement, with similar protests in several states. At a college in Mandya, Karnataka, when a Muslim girl was allegedly beaten up by boys in saffron scarves chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’, she shouted ‘Allah Hu Akbar’. The Karnataka government justified the ban on hijab in classrooms under its 1983 Education Act, under which, it said, it could issue directions to schools and colleges to ensure the maintenance of public order. The matter reached the Karnataka High Court, which upheld the state government’s order that hijab was not a requirement for Islam. The matter is now pending in the Supreme Court.
Illustration by Tanmay Chakraborty
halal meat
The halal row began after the festival of Ugadi on April 2, when some right-wing groups in Karnataka, including the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, launched a campaign against the purchase of halal meat, which is traditionally eaten by Muslims. BJP national general secretary CT Ravi even compared halal meat to economic jihad. Protests turned violent at Bhadravati in the state’s Shivamogga district, where five people were arrested for allegedly assaulting a man at a meat shop and a restaurant. The next day, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the state would investigate the issue of halal meat as serious objections were raised about it. A similar campaign against Halal meat was launched on social media in Kerala in November 2021.
loudspeakers in mosques
In the past one year, several right-wing organizations, including the Bajrang Dal, have demanded that ‘Azaan’ should not be offered using loudspeakers. They also threatened to retaliate by playing ‘bhajans’ on loudspeakers near mosques. On 2 April, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray urged the Maharashtra government to remove loudspeakers from mosques and threatened to play ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ loudly if their demands were not met. The Nashik Police Commissioner issued an order on April 18, directing all religious places to take permission before using loudspeakers till May 3. The police also banned the recitation of ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ within 150 meters of a mosque.
The Supreme Court had in July 2005 banned the use of loudspeakers and music systems in public places between 10 pm and 6 am, except in public emergencies. In August 2016, the Bombay High Court ruled that the use of loudspeakers was not a fundamental right. On May 15, 2020, the Allahabad High Court held that Azaan can be read only by a human voice, without using any amplifying device. In November 2021, the Karnataka High Court asked the state government to explain the provisions of the law that allowed loudspeakers and public address systems in mosques, and what action was being taken to restrict their use.
Ram Navami Procession
Hindu-Muslim conflicts took place in many states during Ram Navami in April. In Khargone, Madhya Pradesh, Muslim locals allegedly pelted stones at a Ram Navami rally, triggering a riot in which houses and shops were torched and over two dozen people injured. Muslims claim that the people involved in the procession were playing provocative songs. Similarly, if there were smaller ones, there were clashes in Gujarat, Goa, Jharkhand, Karnataka and West Bengal. Two mosques were torched for allegedly sheltering stone pelters in Goa and Gujarat. ABVP students clashed with Left-leaning students over serving and eating non-vegetarian food during Navratri at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Hanuman Jayanti Procession
Illustration by Tanmay Chakraborty
On April 16, nine people were injured in clashes between Hindus and Muslims in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri area on Hanuman Jayanti. Three processions were taken out and it was the third one that saw trouble as no permission was given for it. Those who organized it reportedly took a route next to a mosque located near a temple. Loud religious chants clashed with the azaan, leading to violence between the two groups. An FIR was registered against the organizers of the procession and around 25 people were arrested.