RUTHFULLY YOURS

The image is one of valor and courage, and deserves to win awards. But it does not suit the propaganda of perennial Muslim victimhood that the biggest names in global media promulgate. It also shatters the fake narrative they have peddled for years. It is an image of an Indian policeman who ran through burning buildings to rescue an infant from Islamic rage. This kind of photo makes liberal media platforms uncomfortable.

On April 2, disputes broke out in Karauli, Rajasthan. Hindus were celebrating the Hindu New Year, and had organized a celebratory motorbike rally. While the bikers were passing through a Muslim-dominated area in Karauli, they were ambushed by rioting mobs who had prepared to display their solidarity and communal harmony by throwing stones at these Hindu motorcyclists. The mob flung rocks at these men from all directions.

A couple of police officers were riding with the Hindus in order to provide security from known miscreants and anticipated dangers. But the Indian state of Rajasthan is ruled by the Muslim-pandering Indian National Congress, and there is only so much that security officials can do to protect the Hindus while reporting to a government that is desperate to appease the Muslim community. Often, these policemen also become victims of jihad activity.

Around 43 people, including four police officers, reportedly sustained severe injuries after an enraged Muslim mob charged at the Hindu rally as it passed through the Muslim area. The victims were rushed to the nearest medical facility for treatment; one among these victims was Pushpendra, who was in critical condition and had to be moved to Jaipur, the state capital, for better medical attention.

Some news reports suggest that some individuals also had knife wounds, but the administration has not confirmed these claims. The hospital staffs have also maintained a well-briefed and compliant silence on the matter.

What started as a hail of stones quickly escalated into a massive arson attack and vandalism; dozens of shops were set ablaze, and at least three motorbikes were burned. A curfew had to be imposed in the district to bring the situation under control; mobile Internet also remains suspended.

Police forces have been stationed in the sensitive zones surrounding the epicenter of the violence. Initially, some 600 security personnel had been deployed in Karauli, but the latest reports suggest that a force of 1,200 is now on duty in the district.

The state chief minister took to Twitter and appealed to people to maintain peace and harmony; unfortunately, the miscreants don’t heed his pleas. These groups that were disrupting the peace have no interest in living in harmony with the “idol-worshippers.” They make deliberate attacks on their targets, and as observed in recent years, Hindu festivals top their target list — each one of them, be it Durga Puja, Ram Navami, Saraswati Puja, or a relatively less religious festival, the Hindu New Year.

As per reports, the Muslim group known as the Popular Front of India (PFI) had warned the Congress government and hinted at possible violence should the procession celebrating the Hindu New Year pass through Muslim areas. On April 1, Mohammad Asif, the state president of PFI Rajasthan, wrote a letter to CM Ashok Gehlot.

How weak and submissive must the government of this state be to take no actions against threats of violence that were made publicly, and allow 43 people to end up injured? How low does one go while groveling at the feet of a religious minority?

If the country claims to be secular, how can Muslims claim any part of it as a Muslim-only land where non-Muslims are forbidden from entering, passing through, or celebrating their festivals? Weren’t they awarded a piece of land in 1947, where they can pulling their antics and practice their intolerance to their hearts’ content?

Leaders of the opposition party have lambasted Rajasthan officials and slammed the Congress for its hopeless appeasement of Muslim troublemakers. However, this fails to protect the Hindus. Many Muslims continue to hound them in all states during their festivals, including even in the states that are ruled by the “pro-Hindu” BJP.

Represented as the ever-oppressed minority, all too many Muslims in India habitually resort to unprovoked violence, create unrest, and jeopardize the lives of ordinary citizens around the year. They never run out of excuses to start a dispute. And the respective state and central governments have failed to curb this burgeoning jihad activity, or the flourishing of pro-jihad groups that are quite active despite being banned on paper.