A video has surfaced from Kundaikala village in Chhattisgarh’s Sarguja district on 7 January where Hindu villagers are seen taking an oath boycotting Muslims. The video, dated 5 January, shows a man leading almost 200 people in an oath banning Muslim vendors, boycotting Muslim shops, employers and banning sale or lease of any land to a Muslim. As per reports, police is investigating into the video.
According to the villagers, the issue pertains to a dispute between two villages. A Muslim family from Aara village is said to have travelled to Lundra village on January 1 to celebrate New Year. There a fight broke out between the accused and a local resident and he was beaten up by these Muslims. The victim alleged that six Muslim visitors barged into his house and brutally thrashed his family members including his niece. On the basis of an FIR, the police arrested the accused. However, on being produced in a local court, the six accused got bail. This infuriated the local villagers as the police had registered case under general sections of IPC rather than under SC/ST Atrocities Act as the victim belonged to the tribal community. Left with no other option, the villagers rose in solidarity with the victim to seek justice and have served a 10- day ultimatum to the police that if stringent action is not taken against the accused, there shall be a big protest.
Bhupesh Baghel led Congress government in Chhattisgarh came to power in 2018 with a thumping majority primarily due to the support of Adivasis and other backward castes on the promise of development and empowerment of these weaker sections. But now when tribals are being attacked by Muslim mobs and are being denied justice by Chhattisgarh Police, the Chief Minister who happens to be a close confidant of Rahul Gandhi is silent. He and his leader Rahul Gandhi had went hammer and tongs against the erstwhile BJP government on the issue of negligence towards tribals but now when they are in power, they are allowing innocent Adivasis to get brutalized, threatened and harassed by Muslims. Perhaps, the Congress party doesn’t want to irk their loyal votebank and is deliberately trying to hush up this case to appease the Muslim community for political reasons. But what’s the fault of that poor Adivasi villager who is being hounded and humiliated for no reason? Isn’t the duty of the state to safeguard the interests of tribals, secure justice for them and bring the perpetrators to book? What prevented the police from registering case under SC/ST Act? Was there any political pressure on them?
It should however be noted that this is not the first instance of Hindu hatred in Chhattisgarh under the rule of Bhupesh Baghel. Recently, a Dharm Sansad was held at Raipur where a Hindu sage Kalicharan Maharaj made controversial remarks against Mahatma Gandhi and hailed Godse. He was later arrested and now is under judicial custody. What the left leaning Congress supporting media did not mention was the event was organized by Pramod Dubey, a Congress leader from Raipur. This was a well thought out strategy to defame Hindus and project them as intolerant and extremists who hate Muslims and create communal tensions in the country.
In October last year, a SUV being driven by a group of Ganja Smugglers ran over a procession of Hindu devotees who were on their way to immerse the idols of Goddess Durga in Jashpur district of Chhattisgarh . This horrific incidence killed one person while injuring several others. As usual, the Chhattisgarh government played politics over the matter and instead indulged in blame game rather than ensuring quicker compensation and medical treatment for the grievously injured devotees.
All these incidences prove that the life of an ordinary Hindu in Chhattisgarh has become so cheap and insecure due to the anti Hindu politics of Baghel government. Adivasis are attacked by Muslim mobs, pseudo Hindu events like Dharm Sansad being organized to defame and deride Hindutva ideology and politics is being played over the dead body of Hindus. Now this gives rise to a pertinent question that is Hinduphobia becoming new normal under Congress ruled Chhattisgarh? Once considered to be a peaceful and serene state with a rich indigenous culture, is Chhattisgarh gaining infamy for becoming a safe heaven for Islamic hardliners and criminals enjoying political patronage just like West Bengal or Kerala? Will Congress party or its supreme leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi answer these questions? Meanwhile, Adivasis of Kundaikala village are still awaiting justice.
