Muslim Businesses Destroyed in Mumbai Following Hindu Rally

According to Amnesty International, Muslim-owned properties have been destroyed, deliberately targeted after violent outbreaks as a result of Hindu Rally participants instigating fights in Mumbai.

Aakar Patel, the chair of Amnesty International India’s board, stated that the Indian authorities have been destroying Muslim properties after the outbreaks of violence. He deemed the actions unlawful and done without proper investigation into the individuals being targeted, who are assumed to have taken part in violence following the rally.

He called on the Indian Government to stop these acts of destruction, as the rally and its following chaos has been used as an “excuse to target Muslims.”

“Adequate compensation must be offered to all those affected without discrimination, ensure that victims have access to effective remedy, and those responsible are held to account,” he said.

A group of Hindu nationalists with saffron flags had been stopped by a group of Muslim locals in Mumbai on the 21st of January. Two days later, state authorities began demolishing 15 shops, including those of street vendors, in a predominantly Muslim area of Mumbai. No notices of eviction were issued before the demolition took place, according to local activists.