Gujrat Riots: Has Indian Democracy Breathed Its Last?

The Supreme Court of India recently gave a clean chit to PM Narendra Modi following the 2022 Gujrat riot case.

What may seem like justice to a long-held case is a dark night for all the families who bled during those riots. The decision to provide clean chit to 64 accused people, including PM Narendra Modi, is sought to be unfair by several political analysts.

Gujrat Riots from 2002 to 2022

Gujrat Riots took place in 2002 after a train, Sabarmati Express, carrying 60 Hindu pilgrims, was set on fire. Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujrat at that time. His lack of interest and sympathy toward Muslim killings made him accountable for the incidents.

He was accused of the ruthless murder of a Muslim politician during the riots. Despite strong evidence and witnesses regarding Modi’s contribution to encouraging Hindus, declaring him free from the accusation is appalling.

A senior police officer stated in Supreme Court that Gujrat Chief Minister Narendra Modi intentionally allowed anti-Muslim riots in the state following the burning of Sabarmati Express. He mentioned that Modi said, “The Hindus should be allowed to vent their anger.”

On the contrary, Modi denies any wrongdoings.

The Indian Supreme Court and Nanavati Commission Report on Gujrat and Delhi Riots

The Indian government has arrested the Indian civil rights activist Teesta Setalvad for spinning a conspiracy against the Modi government in Gujrat. The arrest was made considering her advocacy for the victims of the 2002 Gujrat Riots.

Besides Setalvad, the Indian government has been after all the activists and officials who spoke the truth about the riots. The process for justice has come to a full circle. Now, the government says that it was an attempt to topple the Modi government in Gujarat.

Instead of holding the responsible accountable, the Nanavati Commission report on the 2002 Gujarat riots asks for strict action against police officers who could not control the mobs as they were not competent enough.

“There is no evidence to show that these attacks were either inspired or instigated or abated by any minister of the state,” the commission said in its 1,500-page long report.

The Police’s Say regarding 2022 Gujrat Riots

Some police officers believe that it is true that they could not control the mob in some places. However, it is not because of their incompetence or negligence. Contrarily, the mob was massive, and the police were not adequately armed to face this unanticipated situation.

The Indian Supreme Court and people in favour of the decision stressed that the mob was agitated by turning the Sabarmati Express under a planned conspiracy. Narendra Modi also mentions that you cannot stop angry people from showing their frustration.

Reports show that over 1,000 people (mostly Muslims) were killed in the 2022 Gujrat Riots.

Civil rights activists and officials believe that people who lost their lives in this riot rising from religious conflict must receive justice. It would be unfair to free everyone accused of involvement in the riots.

Fact Checker and Journalist Muhammad Zubair arrested by BJP-led Uttar Pradesh Government.

The Uttar Pradesh government arrested fact checker and Journalist Muhammad Zubair on June 27, 2022.

Muhammad Zubair is an active political journalist and the co-founder of India’s leading fact-checking website Alt News. He works laboriously with his team to bring out the truth from gold-plated lies and has been under BJP’s radar for a long time because he attempted to reveal fabricated stories.

Zubair gained international prominence after he called out JBP spokesperson Nupur Sharma about her derogatory comments regarding Muhammad (PBUH) ’s marriages. These remarks were condemned by the Islamic world, resulting in apologies from the Indian government.

According to the Uttar Pradesh government, Zubair was arrested over a 2018 tweet that insulted religious beliefs.

The tweet showed a picture of a hotel with a different name after BJP came into power. It stated

“Before 2014: Honeymoon Hotel. After 2014: Hanuman Hotel”

The hotel owners changed the name Honeymoon Hotel to the Hindu God Hanuman’s name.

However, analysts and people following politics in India closely believe that the reason for the arrest was something else indeed.

There are several cases on Zubair around the “provoking hate” theory showing that it is a planned conspiracy.

Following his arrest on June 27, 2021, he was in and out of the courtroom and prison regarding the case. Delhi police further accused him of destroying evidence, criminal conspiracies, and receiving foreign funding. They took Zubair to a remote town on the India-Nepal border for “further investigations.”

Later, Uttar Pradesh police took his custody and added more charges to his name, like using “hatemongers” as an offensive term. Allegedly, Zubair used the words against three Hindu religious leaders. Remember that these leaders used hate speech and threatened to rape Muslim women.

Supreme Court granted a five-day temporary bail to Zubair on July 8, 2022.

He received bail in the original case by the Delhi government regarding the 2018 hate speech tweet. Yet, he was kept in custody considering around half a dozen more charges by the Uttar Pradesh police. When he gets bail in one case, another same case is lodged at a different location so that he remains in custody. It is thought to be a conspiracy and the police’s tactic to keep him in custody.

Muhammad Zubair, belonging to Bangalore, co-founded the fact-checking platform Alt News in 2017. Zubair and his partner Pratik Sinha have been working with due diligence to combat fake news and bring facts to the surface, including some from the Gujrat riots.

Alt News, co-founded by Zubair, has debunked significant claims and misinformation, including caste, religion, and unscientific myths.

The website focuses on fake news of all sorts, especially the unfair treatment of Muslims in the region. Muhammad, being a Muslim, has been charged with different accusations and kept in custody for unneeded periods.

Court ordered the immediate release of Muhammad Zubair in mid-July.

Conclusion

After witnessing the selective execution of Muslims and a sequential policy of ruling out the special status of Muslim majority provinces, are we seeing the end of the glorious Indian Democracy and the beginning of something darker?

The Gujrat riots with no solution in sight and nobody willing to take or impose responsibilities, fact-checkers getting penalized and arrested for other factual findings, the tyranny on Muslims for the past 70 years and more.

Our point of view is simple, what India is doing now, we have seen what Germany did 80 years ago, and that did not end well for anybody.