Violence in India after the mosque was demolished
At least five people have been killed and dozens injured during protests sparked by the demolition of a mosque and Islamic school in India, the latest in a series of demolitions targeting Muslim buildings.
Municipal authorities in the town of Haldwani in the northern state of Uttarakhand raided the buildings on Thursday, saying they had been built without permission. Police said angry Muslims torched vehicles and threw stones at them in the ensuing protests. In the violence, the police used bullets and killed the protestors. Residents said the mosque and school buildings in Haldwani's Banphoolpur area were built nearly two decades ago with permits and it was unfair to demolish them. A senior police official in Uttarakhand on Friday told The Indian Express that five people were killed in the protests, but did not identify them. The authorities in the Haldwani region have issued orders to shoot at anyone who violates the curfew. In addition, local authorities have suspended internet services along with closing schools and banning large gatherings. Sumit Hridayesh, a state lawmaker from the opposition Indian National Congress who represents Haldwani, said the violence was due to the administration's "reckless actions". He said the inhabitants of the area, including Muslim leaders, should have been informed before the demolition was carried out. Narendra Modi Hindu extremist groups have stepped up their campaign against Muslims and their religious institutions since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power a decade ago. Last month, Modi opened a Hindu temple in the northern city of Ayodhya. The temple is built on the grounds of an ancient Mughal mosque that was destroyed by Hindu extremists in 1992. Muslims are blaming regional governments controlled by Modi's Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) for using bulldozers to demolish Muslim homes and businesses in what appears to be a blatant hate campaign. In two reports jointly published this week, the human rights organization Amnesty International documented the demolition of at least 128 Muslim properties from April to June 2022, leaving at least 617 people homeless or without livelihood. Human rights groups have also accused Modi of ignoring and sometimes facilitating hate speech against Muslims, who make up 14 percent of India's 1.4 billion people.
