While America took strong stands to ban its fringe the Ku Klux Klan, in India, the fringe is rising to power and prominence in Parliament.
Indians are Drowning in the Waters of Fascism
How can one fight communalism, and religious and caste wars when top political leaders are clapping it on? Is it because Indian politicians are sympathetic and romanticize India’s extremist groups while the USA could identify the violence in the Ku Klux Klan and remove it? While analyzing the difference between how America and India handled their problems, let us also work on a way how India can do the same. Is a nation of one billion so weak to drown in the waters of fascism or will Indians learn to swim against the tide and fight back for freedom of dignity, freedom of speech, freedom to breathe, and freedom to work, live, pray, love and eat? Today, there are over 3.1 million Indian Americans living safely, successfully, and happily in the USA because a movement like Ku Klux Klan was banned.
It is known that presently, many Muslims are not being given jobs nor are people renting out their places for Muslims to live in. In these dark perilous days, with humiliation piled upon insult and injury, will a billion Indians keep silent or will they speak?
Recently, Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor tied the knot and it came as a surprise that they were not spared on their wedding day as toxic elements from the extreme right-wing of the BJP started abusing Alia Bhatt’s father, Mahesh Bhatt for some of his comments and Ranbir Kapoor’s father, the late Rishi Kapoor was malignantly abused for his open declaration of “love of beef” and “he is in hell.” When Bollywood leading celebrity stars are gagged, unlike in outspoken well-articulated Hollywood, we realize the depths of dark waters of fear Indians are swirling in.
Fahad Maqsusi, a businessman shared “Hijab row followed by halal economics by communal unsocial element’s seems hitting employment in India. As Middle Eastern companies started to pull out multi-billion businesses from Bangalore & shifting it to #Jordan & #Egypt due to rising communal violence against Muslims.” Apparently, Ejada Bank from the Middle East was also pulling out of India as most of the Gulf companies are feeling Karnata’s communal atmosphere is not favorable for business and did not want to rely on India.”
In March 2020, a week after communal riots ravaged parts of the Indian capital Delhi, trade bodies estimated a loss of $34.65 billion.
The fringe is seeping into Parliament such as Pragya Singh Thakur, linked to the 2008 Malegaon bombings where 10 people were killed and 82 more were injured., who is out on bail, and BJP leader, Pratap Sarangi suspected to be behind the murders of Graham Stuart Staines was an Australian Christian missionary, who along with his two sons, Philip (aged 10) and Timothy (aged 6) was burnt to death by members of Bajrang Dal. In 2003, Bajrang Dal activist Dara Singh was convicted of leading the murderers and was sentenced to life. However, Pratap Sarangi was the leader of the Bajrang Dal, when the BD brutally killed Australian Christian missionary Graham Staines and his two children in 1999.
Recent Riots Over Nation
Political upheavals amid communal riots are becoming commonplace in India today. While Ram Navami, a Hindu festival that celebrates the birthday of Rama was being celebrated and Hanuman Janmotsav processions were on, a festival that celebrates the birth of Hindu god Hanuman, things in 2022 took a bitter turn. These festivities and processions that are normally carried out peacefully in India over generations suddenly turned virulent in 2022, costing the lives of two people and hundreds of others injured. Minds are churning as to happening in India.
On running through the sequence of events over the month of April 2022, while these events started on Sunday, it goes back to eight years when Prime Minister Modi promised enraptured mobs that he would make India a Hindu nation, but more about that later.
Now, in April 2022, for the second time in India that such violence was exploding on Ram Navami. The first time such horror happened on this auspicious occasion was in 1979 when a massacre was executed during Ram Navami killing 180, and RSS was found responsible for provoking riots.
On Sunday, April 2, 2022, in the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus in Delhi violence erupted after a dispute over non-vegetarian food being served on campus where mostly left-wing students were wounded and bleeding in the battle with visuals and videos revealing the same, many were taken to hospitals by ambulance. In other parts of India, two people were killed in the communal violence, shootings, and fires that raged over the country late on Sunday night.
In the recent Hanuman Jayanti riots on Saturday evening, April 16, 2022, the battle flared up in the locality on Saturday evening in C-D Block Market in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri when worshippers during the Hanuman Shobha Yatra were carrying shotguns and pistols with provocative yells.
A resident named Mastan claimed that participants of the procession shouted slogans such as “Bharat mein rehna hoga toh Jai Shri Ram kehna hoga [if you want to live in India, you have to chant Deity Ram’s name]”. Many children, disturbingly were part of holding shotguns during their Hanuman Shobha Yatra. Mastan alleged that some people carrying saffron flags tried to enter a mosque. He also alleged that the violence escalated because there is not much police presence in the area. The police arrested all the Muslims. When India Today asked Special Commissioner of Police Deepak Pathak why the arrested persons were from one community, he said that “more action will be taken later”.
While curfew was clamped in troubled zones, the aftermath of the events has elevated the levels of toxicity in India with Muslims feeling victimized, rightfully so, but now turning suspicious of innocent Hindus as being part of the whole conspiracy with a shock hitting a lot of Indians as to “Who voted for this hate?” Minorities did feel let down, but the truth is most Hindus also did not vote for this hate as the working class, bankers, teachers, doctors, farmers, journalists, and many others did not support the policies of the government.
Reactions of Political Leaders
Amid the fire and fury, some political leaders voiced opinions and some of them appeared to be criticizing the Muslims for reacting with stones. One comment that stood out, in particular, was Priyanka Chaturvedi, MP-Rajya Sabha of the Shiv Sena saying, “Why can’t procession carried out by Hindus, on Hindu festivals be allowed to do so in peace? Violent reactions to the yatras is saddening and that too in India’s capital. What is wrong is wrong & should be condemned by all, without any ifs & buts.”
However, one wonders whether these political leaders realize that the Muslims are also observing their Ramadan fast of 30 days where they do not even take a sip of water, swallow saliva, or take in a crumb of food during this time, and is this the time to try come with swords, knives, shotguns, and chant provoking things to them? How much will they torment them before they react?
Perhaps some political leaders think it is very sweet of the Bajrang Dal, Vishva Hindu Parishad with their kids to come close to Muslim settlements and mosques brandishing shotguns and pistols and chanting against them. What would they do? Perhaps if it happened to them, they may also pick up stones as a safety guard.
The History of Riots is not New in India and Muslims Being Minority Have Suffered The Most
Indian Muslims have suffered a lot in carnages, along with Christians, and Dalit minorities suffering more, while Hindus have also lost lives in the battles, but generally, the majority has a greater advantage in a battle.
In the 1964 Kolkata riots, 438 people were injured.
During the 1983 Nellie massacre 1,800 Muslims were slaughtered by Lalung tribespeople. It was the most severe massacre since World War II with the majority of victims being women and children, as a result of the actions of the Assam Movement.
1969 to 1989 Gujarat riots” 630 people were killed, mostly Muslims
In 1980 in Moradabad, 2,500 people were killed. Local police were directly involved in planning the violence.
In 1989 in Bhagalpur, 1,000 were killed; carried out by VHP activists, who were rising in multitudes in a show of strength and to serve as a warning to the minority communities.
1987 Hashimpura massacre where 42 Muslim youth from the Hashimpura mohalla (locality) of the city, took them in a truck to the outskirts, near Murad Nagar, in Ghaziabad district, where they were shot and their bodies were dumped in water canals.
1989 Bhagalpur violence: 1,000 people were killed, the worst Hindu-Muslim violence in independent India at the time.
1992 Bombay riots: 900 people were killed in mob rioting and firing by the police. Pre-planned and that Hindu rioters had been given access to information about the locations of Muslim homes and businesses from non-public sources.
2002 Gujarat riots: An estimated 2,000 Muslims were killed.
2013 Muzaffarnagar riots: g 42 Muslims and 20 Hindus were killed.
2020 Delhi riots: 53 dead and more than 200 seriously injured mostly Muslims killed and injured
According to the Human Rights Watch, the VHP, and Bajrang Dal, in collaboration with BJP had been involved in the 2002 Gujarat riots, and while VHP has denied these claims.
In 2015, VHP defended the demolition of a church in Haryana, although it denied involvement in the incident.
On 4 June 2018, the VHP was classified as a militant religious organization by the CIA in its World Factbook’s entry for India, under the category of political pressure groups, along with Bajrang Dal. The VHP reportedly explored legal options to have this tag removed. The World Factbook removed the mentions of the VHP and the Bajrang Dal from the entry on 25 June 2018 due to political pressure.
It is evident that the Sangh Parivar outlets have indulged in massacres in the past, but today are being encouraged and even cuddled by political powers.
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi shared the alarming nature in which the fringe is invading the mainline today and he put out a post, “Union Pracharak Sangh Commission. India’s Constitution is being demolished, one Institution at a time.” But one wonders how many Indians are really seriously aware of how destructive this is for India, because unlike his other usually very viral popular posts, this one hardly got much attention, just around over 19,500 likes.
Union Pracharak Sangh Commission.
India’s Constitution is being demolished, one Institution at a time. pic.twitter.com/8HEMnmVyTo
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 18, 2022
How Did America Ban KKK, and how Does America Deal With their Fringe
America had a serious problem with the KKK, but they handled it hard eventually or it would have destroyed America as the Nazis destroyed Germany and ruined one of the most powerful nations due to their vicious racism.
The Ku Klux Klan, commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist terrorist and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Catholics, Native Americans as well as immigrants, leftists, homosexuals, Muslims, and atheists.
During the tenure of President Ulysses S. Grant of the USA, he faced numerous challenges during his presidency (1869-1877). The Civil War had recently ended in 1865, ushering in the dawn of the Reconstruction era. The transition to Reconstruction altered the direction of the country, especially the lives of African Americans. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments ended slavery, extended US citizenship to African Americans with equal protection under the law, and established voting rights for African American men.
Black Americans also attended school, established their own churches, became politically active, and held political offices at the local, state, and federal levels. They were overwhelmingly members of the Republican Party largely due to Republican support for emancipation and civil rights.
As these dramatic changes were taking place throughout southern society, many White Southerners resented this newfound independence among African Americans and rejected the Republican Party. Some turned towards violence to maintain white supremacy and topple Republican rule in the south. As president, Grant needed to find ways to curb this violence.
The most well-known violent white supremacist group to form during this period was the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan had rather spooky origins, formed in Pulaski, Tennessee in 1866 by six Confederate veterans who, bored with civilian life, founded the Klan to mainly play pranks. However, as the Klan spread throughout the South, its members’ intentions became more threatening and violent.
KKK members attacked freedpeople exercising their new rights as well as whites who supported the Republican Party. Their methods included burning Black schools and churches, intimidating Black and Republican voters, and even resorting to rape and murder. KKK members often wore ghoulish masks and committed their crimes at night, terrifying their victims. Worse, the Klan’s plans were supported by many local officials as well as law enforcement, which meant that Klan violence was rarely prosecuted at the local or state level. Klan activities threatened to undermine federal reconstruction efforts in the former Confederacy.
Masked men shot into houses and burned them, sometimes with the occupants still inside. They drove successful black farmers off their land. “Generally, it can be reported that in North and South Carolina, in 18 months ending in June 1867, there were 197 murders and 548 cases of aggravated assault.”
Klan violence worked to suppress black voting, and campaign seasons were deadly. More than 2,000 people were killed, wounded, or otherwise injured in Louisiana within a few weeks prior to the Presidential election of November 1868. Although St. Landry Parish had a registered Republican majority of 1,071, after the murders, no Republicans voted in the fall elections. White Democrats cast the full vote of the parish for President Grant’s opponent. The KKK killed and wounded more than 200 black Republicans, hunting and chasing them through the woods. Thirteen captives were taken from jail and shot; a half-buried pile of 25 bodies was found in the woods. The KKK made people vote Democratic and gave them certificates of the fact.
Therefore, Republican governors and officials appealed to President Grant for help if local and state authorities were unable or unwilling.
President Grant had a true concern for the well-being of the freedpeople who had supported the Union in large numbers and was concerned that the actions of the Ku Klux Klan were undermining the verdict of the Civil War.
However, the Federal Government’s resources for curbing this widespread violence were limited, especially within the U.S. military, which had decreased significantly since the end of the Civil War. Grant was nevertheless determined to do something. In a letter to Speaker of the House James G. Blaine, Grant wrote, “there is a deplorable state of affairs existing in some portions of the south demanding the immediate attention of Congress. If the attention of Congress can be confined to the single subject of providing means for the protection of life and property in those sections of the Country where the present civil authority fails to secure that end, I feel that we should have such legislation.”
Congress responded with three “Force Acts” aimed at stopping the violence, especially within the Ku Klux Klan. The Enforcement Act of May 1870 prohibited “banding together” or “going in disguise upon the public highways or upon the premises of another” to violate a citizen’s constitutional rights. As the Klan was known for their disguises, this act called put them on notice. The Second Force Act of February 1871 put federal elections under federal supervision mainly by federal judges and U.S. Marshals. Finally, the Third Force Act of April of 1871 empowered President Grant to suspend Habeas Corpus and use the military to enforce these acts. The latter two Force Acts were also known as the “Ku Klux Klan Acts.”
President Grant acted fast. On May 3, 1871, he issued a proclamation warning that terroristic acts of violence would not be tolerated by his administration. President Grant tried to appeal to the people of the South. “I do particularly exhort the people of those parts of the country to suppress all such combinations [lawlessness] by their own voluntary efforts,” Grant remarked, “and to maintain the rights of all citizens of the United States and to secure to all such citizens the equal protection of the laws.” Continuing, the President warned that “I will not hesitate to exhaust the powers thus vested in the Executive, whenever and wherever it shall become necessary to do so for the purpose of securing to all citizens of the United States the peaceful enjoyment of the rights guaranteed to them by the Constitution and laws.”
Grant acted fast. On May 3, 1871, he issued a proclamation warning that terroristic acts of violence would not be tolerated by his administration. Grant tried to appeal to the people of the South. “I do particularly exhort the people of those parts of the country to suppress all such combinations [lawlessness] by their own voluntary efforts,” Grant remarked, “and to maintain the rights of all citizens of the United States and to secure to all such citizens the equal protection of the laws.” Continuing, the President warned that “I will not hesitate to exhaust the powers thus vested in the Executive, whenever and wherever it shall become necessary to do so for the purpose of securing to all citizens of the United States the peaceful enjoyment of the rights guaranteed to them by the Constitution and laws.”
While America had limited federal resources, President Grant decided to make an example of several counties in the piedmont region of South Carolina, where some of the worst violence and lawlessness was taking place. After the Klan in that area failed to be afraid of the President’s warning, he utilized the Third Force Act. President Grant suspended habeas corpus (the right of a detained person to request help from a court to determine if their imprisonment is lawful) and declared martial law in nine mostly upstate South Carolina counties.
Detachments of the 7th U.S. Cavalry were deployed in the area and worked to gather information and intelligence on local Klan activities. The military and US. Marshals then rounded up suspected Klan members for trial. The military then worked with the Department of Justice and Grant’s Attorney General, Amos Akerman, to prosecute Ku Klux Klan members suspected of engaging in terroristic violence. The Department of Justice had recently been established under the Attorney General’s authority after President Grant asked Congress to pass a law establishing the office, which was done on June 22, 1870. The Justice Department aimed to protect the rights of newly-freed African Americans and serve as the federal government’s enforcement mechanism for the various laws described above.
These efforts had mixed success. During the period of martial law, many Klan members went into hiding or fled. Akerman resigned as Attorney General at the end of 1871, ending the federal government’s most vigorous period of enforcement. Many convicted KKK members were given light sentences. Later, the increasing takeover by the Democrats of state and local governments made the Klan less relevant because White supremacists gained control of the laws in the South. But Grant’s strong action temporarily reestablished law and order in the South allowing African Americans and those who supported them some relief from the horrendous brutality surrounding their communities.
The American Media Fought the KKK Also
In Alabama, Ku Klux Klan vigilantes launched a wave of physical terror in 1927. They targeted both blacks and whites for violations of racial norms and for perceived moral lapses. This led to a strong backlash, beginning in the media. Grover C. Hall, Sr., editor of the Montgomery Advertiser from 1926, wrote a series of editorials and articles that attacked the Klan. (Today the paper says it “waged war on the resurgent [KKK]”.)
Hall won a Pulitzer Prize for the crusade, the 1928 Editorial Writing Pulitzer, citing “his editorials against gangsterism, floggings, and racial and religious intolerance”.
Other newspapers kept up a steady, loud attack on the Klan, referring to the organization as violent and “un-American”. Sheriffs cracked down on activities.
Although members of the KKK used to swear to uphold Christian morality, the group is widely denounced by Christian denominations.
Former President Donald Trump gave an open speech rejecting the violence in Capital Hill executed by white supremacists, proving that the fringe could not be accepted in the political arena, a ground that would lead to an American president’s impeachment.
On May 25, 2020, George Perry Floyd Jr., an African-American man was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest after a store clerk suspected Floyd may have used a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill. Derek Chauvin, one of four police officers had knelt on Floyd’s neck and back for 9 minutes and 29 seconds, killing him. After his murder, protests sparked over America against police brutality, especially towards black people, quickly spread across the United States and globally. His dying words, “I can’t breathe,” became a rallying cry. Interestingly, most of the protests done were by White Americans, standing in support of Black Americans. Floyd’s family got $27 million. Chauvin was convicted on two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter on April 20, 2021, and on June 25, 2021, was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison. The other three officers at the scene were also later convicted of violating Floyd’s civil rights. Banning the Ku Klux Klan helped people to identify extremism, otherwise, citizens remain in a cloudy mist.
What India Needs to Do Now
- Indians have to lose their fear and unite. Indians must not fight on open streets with sticks and stones that break the bones, but with the power of unity, law, peace marches, and many other measures. Indians have to start a new movement such as wearing tee-shirts with India Against Hate, and in all metropolitan cities have a movement in the evenings, candlelight marches and gradually get the public involved to combat the nefarious vibes of hate and not stop until hate stops
- If one million big influencers in India lose their fear and speak for one billion, India would be revolutionized to flow for positive change, freedom, and prosperity.
- India must take the country back from the Media, which has monopolized and betrayed the nation and citizens by deceiving them who are either paid parrots or weak as jellyfish shivering without a spine. Recently, after Putin’s war, the Russian Media resigned when Putin stopped them from reporting the atrocities of the war because of their high level of integrity.
- Leaders of all opposition political parties have to unite for the fight and forget about positions and the throne, seeking not personal power but to protect the Indian Constitution and democracy.
America’s President Grant made laws and banned the KKK, Media and journals vigorously denounced the noxious movement which diminished its strongholds.
India too needs Indian Media to speak strongly against this hate, it needs lawmakers to powerfully push for laws to ban terroristic fanatical organizations and it needs Indians all over to reject this hate in a powerful movement…A democratic nation of one billion surely deserves more than a fringe oppressing, bullying, and blocking everything good for the country.
The most heartbreaking truth is the BJP-RSS party has most of its children studying or working in the USA and because of USA’s stand against hate and the KKK, it is possible for them to be there; however, back in India, they are supporting minority suppression and majoritarianism supremacy, following the steps of the Ku Klux Klan. What a terrible time for India. Indians themselves reject it. In India, Indian leaders hesitate to call their extremists groups “terrorists” but America made no bones about calling Ku Klux Klan a terrorist organization and that is a big difference which is why now the fringe has turned mainline in India.