Assam’s agenda for Muslims goes national

In the twisted, bigoted reality of new India, it is normal for Hindu goons – accompanied by the police –to break into the home of a family of war veterans in the dead of the night, accuse them of being “Bangladeshi” or “Rohingya”, demand proof of citizenship and terrorise them. The police, instead of arresting the goons, round up the men of the family and take them to a police station, as the mob screams, “Jai Shri Ram!”

Finally, the men are freed, but the police register no cases against the goons.

It is normal for the industries minister in the state of Delhi to act on accusations that poor, mostly Muslim workers slaving in sweatshops were Bangladeshi or Rohingya “infiltrators” carrying on “jeans jihad”, a ludicrous accusation that leads to many factories being closed and hundreds losing jobs in a nation where millions are out of work.

It is normal for a government eviction drive – the latest this week of many – in Assam to bulldoze Muslim homes built under a prime ministerial housing scheme, connected to a national drinking-water project, where children attend government schools under a flagship education programme.

The accusation of being Bangladeshi or Rohingya is the latest dog whistle used to terrorise and threaten Muslims and cleanse entire...

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