Authorities in Uttar Pradesh, India have begun bulldozing houses belonging to Muslims accused of involvement in the protests that have been taking place across the country against the offensive remarks made by Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) officials about the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
Two protesters were shot dead by Indian police in Ranchi during the riots on Saturday, while more than 300 individuals were arrested on flimsy charges. Pakistan strongly condemned the violent treatment by the Indian authorities of Muslims who were peacefully protesting over the derogatory remarks.
A spokesperson for the BJP said that Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath had over the weekend ordered officials to demolish any illegal establishments, and homes of people accused of involvement in the riots.
The police on Sunday demolished the house of Mohammad Javed, believed to be an organizer for one of the protests. Javed’s daughter Afreen Fatima is a Muslim rights activist, and her parents and 19-year-old sister have been detained by authorities.
For organizing protest against insults to Prophet, Hindu Right Wing regime has arrested a Muslim man, his wife and daughter, and now bulldozing his house in UP, India! pic.twitter.com/tRuHJdhLlu
— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) June 12, 2022
According to reports by Indian media, Javed plans on moving the high court over what he called the illegal demolition of his house by the Uttar Pradesh government.
His lawyer argued that no prior notice was given regarding the demolition, saying that they were given the notice on Sunday morning, while the demolition took place on Sunday evening, rendering the family virtually homeless.
Meanwhile Muslim groups in India have encouraged members of their community to forego further protests as the protests have taken a violent turn.
“It is the duty of every Muslim to stand together when anyone belittles Islam but at the same time it is critical to maintain peace,” said Malik Aslam, a senior member of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, a Muslim organisation that operates in several Indian states.
