The nationalist rhetoric of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) threatens more than 220 million Muslim population of India.
A year after Hindu extremists forced Muslim neighbours from their homes in India, victims live in despair as their oppressors seek to drive Islam from what they consider a Hindu “holy land”.
One of the victims, Mohammad Salim remembers with fear and agony the campaign that erupted in May 2023 against his Muslim minority community in a town Purola, an area surrounded by forested hills in the northern state of Uttarakhand.
“If I had not escaped that day, they would have killed me along with my family,” said Salim, 36, a married father of three young daughters.
Salim’s clothes shop was also looted, and he now lives in basic accommodation with his family around 100 kilometres away in the city of Haridwar, struggling to make ends meet.
Rakesh Tomar, 38, is one of those who celebrated Salim’s forced exile. The far-right Hindu activist, based in state capital Dehradun, spouts scornful and racist rhetoric against Muslim minority he feels threatens him.
“Uttarakhand is the holy land of Hindus,” Tomar said, referring to the shrines around the sacred headwaters of the Ganges river in the state.
Stay tuned to Baaghi TV for more. Download our app for the latest news, updates and interesting content!
