A string of lynchings in India has stoked fear and anger among minority Muslims, just weeks after an election that saw the ruling Hindu nationalist party accused of spouting hate-filled rhetoric.
Longstanding religious tensions have soared as critics blame Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for ignoring a jump in violence and hate directed at Muslims, who make up about 14% of India’s Hindu-majority 1.4 billion population.
While cattle-linked killings happened before Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014, violence has been on the rise during its tenure, observers said.
“We are documenting hate crimes and dangerous speeches targeting Muslims on an almost daily basis,” said Raqib Hameed Naik, founder of India Hate Lab which tracks incidents directed at minorities. “Cow vigilantes are running amok, attacking Muslim drivers transporting cattle in both BJP-ruled and non-BJP-ruled states.”