Decoding Hindu-Muslim Violence in Contemporary India

Abstract: Hindu-Muslim violence has become endemic to Indian secular society. The Hindu-Muslim antagonism in different forms and manifestations invariably takes the shape of communal violence. Since independence, incidence of communal violence and steady increase in their numbers, frequency, intensity and loss of lives and property has assumed serious proportion. It has sounded alarm bells among government, former police officials, intellectuals and civil society. Riots in last three decades have been manufactured with specific purpose of Muslim hate and vilification. The violence may be small town based riot or large and extensive state sponsored program of Muslims in Gujarat in 2002. The recurrence of communal violence in India can be seen as result of various factors operating at the same time in Indian society and the nature of its electoral system. Different factors in different geographical places are systematically produced and nurtured with primary aim of creating rift in social relations between communities; vilification of Muslims creating resentment and anger leading to discrimination and prejudice and ultimately incitement of violence against Muslims. The economic prosperity of Muslims creates insecurity among the Hindus who feel that they might be economically and socially shadowed by the Muslims thereby raising demands of boycott of Muslim shops and business establishments. Economic competition, practice of communal politics, societal polarization on religious grounds, insecurity of life and property, biased police and media and an institutionalized system of riot production are important reasons for Hindu-Muslim violence in India. Since 2014, a persistent campaign has been launched with the sole aim of ‘othering’ Muslims through issues of burqa, skull caps, beef ban, frivolous petitions against Muslim institutions, malafide protests and demands by Hindu right wing organizations, new laws aimed at Muslim way of life thereby stoking religious passion, Muslim hate, vilification of Muslims and identifying Muslims as ‘others’. The paper analyses the different methods and methodologies used to create an atmosphere of Muslim hate and constant threat of Hindu-Muslim violence.

Keywords: communal politics, discrimination, vilification, polarization, elections