Spiral of violence

Once the genie of death and violence is unleashed from the bottle, as has happened in New Delhi, it is almost impossible to shove it back and put on the stopper. In the last two days of rioting, at least 20 people have been killed in New Delhi, most of them Muslims, in the worst communal rioting since 2002 when some 1,000 people were massacred in Gujarat. The violence has arisen chiefly from the anti-Muslim agenda followed by the Modi government, and specifically the new citizenship act which offers fast-track citizenship to all groups applying from countries neighbouring India except Muslims. The riots initially broke out after protesters favouring the act attacked a group protesting it. The mayhem has turned places in Delhi into a war zone. At least two masjids have been burnt down and the homes of scores of Muslims torched or battered and their belongings taken away.

As is almost inevitably the case, the mayhem has been enacted against the poorest residents of the city who are least able to defend themselves. The members of the Indian community who have acted to protect fellow Muslim citizens must be applauded for their courage. They include Hindus, who have themselves been beaten to death while protecting Muslim neighbours, while the Sikh community has opened up all its gurdwaras to Muslims seeking shelter and safety. The sights of corridors of Muslim men, women and children moving away from Delhi to try and find a more secure place is however a reminder of how quickly violence can sweep across India and is reminiscent of scenes witnessed during the violent partition of the subcontinent. The events in New Delhi will open up new questions about the concept of a secular India where all citizens are equally protected. Prime Minister Imran Khan has sensibly delivered a stern warning that there must be no retaliatory action against minority groups in Pakistan. Such senseless acts of violence against innocent people based entirely on the belief they follow have occurred before. As the PM has also warned, such violence is extremely difficult to hold back once it has begun.

The problem for India is that the BJP government does not seem committed to stopping it. PM Narendra Modi has issued a call for peace but there seems to be little force behind his words. Modi has engaged in pogroms before. He will have no scruples about enabling others. For Muslims and also for the Aam Aadmi Party which swept recent elections in the federal capital, this is a disaster. It will make Muslims feel more insecure than ever before and makes it obvious that India is a homeland only for a single majority community and that there is no protection for other groups who live within the territory.