Are communal tensions being deliberately stirred to court votes ahead of India's elections?

A Muslim boy filmed being repeatedly struck by Hindu classmates at the behest of his teacher stoked outrage – but that may suit politicians using division to safeguard votes

Supporters of the rightwing Hindu groups Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal react to Monday's communal clashes in Haryana state by shouting slogans at a rally in Ahmedabad, India, Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023.

Are communal tensions being deliberately stirred to court votes ahead of India's elections?

Sanjay Kapoor

last update on 02 Sep 2023

A violent incident at a school in India has highlighted the extent of rising religious tensions in the country, becoming a hot issue in the nearby national capital of New Delhi.

The Neha Public School in the city of Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh is at the centre of a scandal. Its owner and principal – Tripti Tyagi – ordered the classmates to slap a student as a "punishment" for his poor academic performance.

Captured on video and spread across social media, it appeared to be a religiously motivated attack because the Muslim boy was beaten by mostly Hindu students.

As the video went viral, the images stoked outrage across the city, the country and beyond. The public outcry led to the school’s closure by local authorities, where Muslims make up about 41% of the 500,000 population. The justifications offered by Tyagi were equally outrageous. She claimed to be physically unable to issue the punishment herself.

But no action was taken beyond the closure of the school. With parliamentary elections looming next year, there was talk that Tyagi’s arrest could stoke anger among the Hindu bloc vote.

AFP — People look at a burned vehicle after violent communal clashes in Sohna on August 1, 2023. At least four people have been killed in violent clashes between Hindus and Muslims near the Indian capital New Delhi, police said August 1.

Sowing division in schools

The Neha incident highlights how schools in India have become breeding grounds for division and hatred, amid widening ethnic and religious fault lines in the most populous nation in the world.

But there is also a feeling that such division benefits the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been aggressively courting the votes of India’s dominant Hindu majority.

The Neha incident highlights how schools in India have become breeding grounds for division and hatred, amid widening ethnic and religious fault lines in the most populous nation in the world.

The muted official response to the Neha School incident comes ahead of India's next general election, due to be held between April and May. And it is not the only example of escalating tensions ahead of the crucial polls.

On India's Independence Day, 15 August, young children were heard reciting a poem calling for the death of "traitors" who eat India's food and praise Pakistan — in what was seen as a thinly veiled reference to Muslims.

The words were spoken to an approving audience of teachers, parents and other children. Social media revealed hundreds of similar incidents, stoking concern about the values being taught in schools across the country.

Again, authorities failed to act.

A wave of violence and unrest has swept across the outskirts of Delhi in recent months, often set off by provocative videos shared on WhatsApp and YouTube.

Communal tension stoked

The town of Nuh, about 70 kilometres from Delhi, is home to a significant Muslim population. There, a right-wing religious group, the World Hindu Organisation, released a video inciting a provocative religious march intentionally stoking tensions between the communities.

In the violence that followed, six people died and there were numerous injuries. But the state authorities responded to the incident by demolishing buildings from which stones were thrown at the Hindu marchers, rather than taking action against those who started the trouble.

A man walks past burned vehicles after violent communal clashes in Nuh on August 1, 2023. At least four people have been killed in violent clashes between Hindus and Muslims near the Indian capital New Delhi, police said August 1.

The High Court eventually intervened, halting the bulldozers, but only after hundreds of buildings were destroyed. Tensions remain high in the area, and locals predict a fragile calm until the conclusion of the G-20 summit, hosted by India in September.

Social media revealed hundreds of similar incidents, stoking concern about the values being taught in schools across the country. The muted official response to the Neha School incident comes ahead of India's next general election.

There has also been trouble in India's northeast, near China, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.

In Manipur, a state bordering Myanmar, around 180 people were killed in clashes between the Hindu Meitei and Kuki Christian communities. The government has struggled to quell the violence, which threatens stability in this region and others prone to similar divisions.

Relatives of Abhishek, who was killed in communal clashes, carry his body on a stretcher outside a hospital in Nuh in Haryana state, India, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023.

The tendency for the state to back Hindus is a byproduct of Indian democracy. The country is home to a diverse range of religions, but Hindus make up nearly 80% of the national population — a significant majority and an electoral powerhouse.

Nonetheless, the number of Muslims in India is considerable at around 200 million, even if that is a low proportion within this most populous nation. It is one of the single biggest Muslim populations anywhere in the world.

Tensions and even violence between religious groups are often exploited by political parties and interest groups. The BJP, in power since 2014, is facing elections in April and May next year.

It is well-known for a range of provocative tactics used to hold onto office, which feed off religious and ethnic tensions and exploit insecurities among the majority. This has included allegations that Muslim men target Hindu women in a tactic called "love jihad". Historical imagery of Muslim invaders from medieval times has also been used.

Opposition parties have united ahead of the coming elections. Also, one of the main alternatives to the BJP, the Congress Party, is making a comeback under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi.

That has made the BJP feel insecure. In turn, that may mean India might expect more violence, and a Hindu-first reaction to it from the government as it seeks to lock in the support of voters along religious lines.

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