New Delhi: Following the departure of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, India has experienced a sharp increase in anti-Muslim sentiment and violence, targeting Muslim communities and Rohingya refugees.
According to Kashmir Media Service, this rise in hostility has been fueled by inflammatory rhetoric from far-right Hindu extremists. A particularly violent incident occurred just days after Hasina’s exit, where extremist groups, led by Daksh Chaudhary of the Hindu Raksha Dal, attacked Rohingya refugee camps in Delhi. The assailants were recorded hurling racial slurs and aggressively urging the refugees to leave India.
The violence extended beyond the refugee camps, with local Muslim slum dwellers in areas like Ghaziabad also coming under attack, accused of being illegal immigrants. The attackers employed physical violence and arson, leading to a mass exodus of Muslim families from the affected areas.
Adding to the volatile environment, far-right Hindu leaders, including Dhanashree Kelshikar of Sanatan Sanstha and Ranjeet Savarkar, delivered provocative speeches in Mumbai, advocating for the expulsion of Muslims and Rohingyas and promoting economic and social ostracism against them.
These developments coincide with a series of protests organized by Hindu Janajagruti Samiti since August 11, which have been marked by violent assaults across various states including Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Maharashtra. This pattern underscores a concerning escalation in communal violence in India.