NEW DELHI: Good triumphs over evil, according to the message sent out annually by the Hindu festival of Dussehra that took place across India on Wednesday. For the Muslim men hired as bouncers at Garba dance festivals in Gujarat, there’s no such finality about the message.

They were beaten up doing their duty by Bajrang Dal vigilantes.

Another report cited an unverified video claimed to be of a Muslim man tied to a pole being assaulted for allegedly throwing stones at a festival venue.

Authorities in Madhya Pradesh state have demolished three houses belonging to Muslims accused of involvement in a scuffle between youths from two communities in Surajni, a neighbouring village of Mandsaur district, says the Delhi-based Maktoob Media. It’s not clear who runs the media and what its sources are. But the reports seem familiar and of a piece with the bulldozer cult unveiled in recent days by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in states where it rules.

Victims accused of disrupting Hindu festival

The Madhya Pradesh police, according to Maktoob Media, claimed that the Muslim youths disrupted the Hindu festival Navaratri while Muslim families denied the claim.

“The Mandsaur district administration and police on Tuesday demolished the houses of three persons accused of throwing stones on a Garba pandal and attacking organisers with a sharp-edged weapon over the weekend,” the police said.

“The houses were constructed illegally so we demolished them. We are checking the property papers of all the accused and action will be taken accordingly,” Mandsaur sub-divisional magistrate Sandeep Shiva said to Hindustan Times.

An FIR was registered against 19 people of Surjani village and 11 people have been arrested so far. The demolished houses include the house of Salman Khan, one of the suspects.

“How easy has it become to demean Muslim, accuse them of bogus charges and demolish their house in broad daylight? Even if someone is accused of any charge, why the normal legal course is not taken? This communal treatment is totally Islamophobic,” tweeted Muslim activist and community organiser Aasif Mujtaba.

Six months ago, over 50 properties of Muslims were bulldozed by the authorities in the state. The Muslims were falsely accused of violence during another Hindu festival Ram Navami. Similar demolition drives were seen in Muslim neighbourhoods across northern and central India.

Muslims argue this is the latest attempt to harass and marginalise them. They point to a pattern of rising polarisation the ruling party needs badly ahead of key state polls, particularly in Gujarat and Karnataka.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2022