Hindutva Forces involved in Violence in Telangana: HRF
Hyderabad: The Human Rights Forum (HRF) has said that Hindutva forces of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are involved in violence in Telangana state in India.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the fact-finding report released by the Human Rights Forum (HRF) has revealed that an altercation started when RSS workers blasted Hindutva-Pop or H-Pop songs on loudspeakers near a mosque during the noon prayers in Pittalabasthi, Chengicherla hamlet of Telangana.
The Hindutva workers of RSS and other Hindutva forces are accountable for the March 24 communal violence in Pittalabasthi, Chengicherla hamlet of Telangana, the said.
G. Kishan Reddy, head of the state BJP and Indian minister, visited Pittala Basthi the next day and promoted the idea that Hindus were the victims of injustice, the report said.
The music was stopped after complaints from Muslims. However, the same music was played again as Muslims left the mosque following late-night special Ramadan prayers. This led to heated arguments and a violent fight ensued that left people from both sides injured, the report said.
It said the combatants were promptly separated by the police who also took some people into custody. They were then placed under remand. The report stated that it was unknown how many people the police had placed under remand.
The report said Eatala Rajender and G. Kishan Reddy, head of the state BJP and Indian minister, visited Pittala Basthi the next day and promoted the idea that Hindus were the victims of injustice.
On Wednesday (March 27), the report said, BJP MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar, members of Bajrang Dal, and other workers of Hindutva organisations engaged in combat with the police and broke through the barricades to gain entry into the area. It further stated that “videos of the incident were widely circulated on social media.”
According to the report, barring AIMIM head Asaduddin Owaisi and BJP MLA T. Raja Singh from travelling to the region and giving speeches prevented the situation from worsening.
The fact-finding team discovered that Muslim men in Pittalabasthi had left the area following the event. “We learned that the Basthi’s mosque was prohibited from holding prayers for two days. There is a 24-hour watch being kept by 50–100 law enforcement officers and special force agents in the region. The only hours that the area’s most common business, butt operations, are permitted are from 4 a.m. until noon. There is a curfew in place for around 250 meters surrounding the area,” the report stated.
The HRF report said the area is not new to communal tensions as there was violence during the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration last year.
Clashes between Muslims and Hindus erupted last year during Ganesh Chaturthi. To prevent similar events, the police held a meeting with both parties at the start of Ramadan. But because of the provocative songs played by Hindutva proponents exacerbated the situation, the report said.
