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Huge Protests All Over India About Muslim Violence, Both Christians and Hindus Get Involved

Image Source  video screenshot
Photo via video screenshot
Many believe the Central and State governments are complicit in the matter.

Indian citizens all over the country held aloft placards and posters when they took part in the #NotInMyName demonstrations which took part in multiple cities all over the country in mid-July. Large crowds gathered in 12 Indian cities after Saba Dewan, a documentary filmmaker based in Gurgaon, called for a peaceful protest. In Delhi, the venue was Jantar Mantar. Protests also took place in major metropolises like Kolkata and Mumbai.

Huge Protests All Over India About Muslim Violence, Both Christians and Hindus Get Involved[/tweetthis]

The event was held to protest increasing incidences of lynchings, where the principal victims were Muslims. The protests also included rallying against caste-centric and communal violence. The protests came after a Muslim teen was beaten to death during an Islamophobic attack in the Northern Indian state of Haryana. The death of the teenager is latest in a number of violent mob attacks which seems to take place all over India. Many allege that the nation's minorities, comprising Christians, Muslims, and lower cases, are constantly being targeted.

Protesters say they are angry by the way the central government is not responding in this matter. Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister, has not spoken a word about this issue. The chief minister of Haryana, where the incident happened, spoke about the incident. Delhi saw the protesters gather in hundreds in front of a stage to view others recite poetry. They also heard the anguish of the victims' family members.

Muslim residents of a Gujarat village in March reportedly suffered an angry mob attack which came from a neighboring village. Next month, in April, a Rajasthani Muslim farmer was attacked by a mob and subsequently beaten to death when he bought a cow for his milk requirements. Two Muslim youths were killed in Assam in May on suspicion of stealing cows. Many protesters hold the opinion that the state governments and central governments are complicit in the violence against minorities in India.

According to one protester at the Delhi venue, the environment at present is an abnormal one, as evidenced by all such incidents. He said that hardline Hindu fanatics target everyone wearing a skullcap and have a beard. It is automatically assumed that the person is a terrorist.

Hindus form the majority community in India. As per the latest census, about 80.5 percent or 828 million Indian citizens make up the Hindu demographic. Muslims come in the second position, at 13 percent. Christians make up 2.3 percent.

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