Muslim families in the small town of Purola, in India’s Uttarakhand state, are being forced to leave their homes and livelihoods due to threats from far-right Hindu groups. This follows an alleged kidnapping attempt by two men, one of whom was a Muslim, on a Hindu girl. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and its youth wing, the Bajrang Dal, have issued notices on homes and businesses, asking Muslims to vacate the town. About a dozen families have already left. The VHP and Bajrang Dal are linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its aim to create an ethnically Hindu state from India’s constitutionally secular identity.
The two accused kidnappers were apprehended by the townspeople and charged with sex offenses against a minor. This incident fueled allegations by Hindu groups of love jihad, a conspiracy theory which claims Muslim men marry Hindu women to convert them to Islam.
The forced displacement of Muslims in Purola highlights the growing religious tensions in India. Discrimination against religious minorities has increased since the BJP came to power in 2014. In addition, the Citizenship Amendment Act, passed in December 2019, exacerbated the situation by granting citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants from neighboring countries, while excluding Muslim asylum seekers.
The plight of the Muslims in Purola is a reminder of the urgent need for India to protect religious minority rights and promote tolerance and harmony. Unless these fundamental issues are addressed, India’s secular identity will remain under threat, and the country will be caught in a perpetual cycle of communal violence and discrimination.
