In Punjab, India, a university professor was fired over an alleged offensive comment regarding the Hindu god Ram. In an Instagram post published by the university on April 23, the professor was terminated “effective immediately.”
Gursang Preet Kaur is an assistant professor at the Lovely Professional University in Jalandhar, northern Punjab. Kaur allegedly referred to Ram as a “cunning person,” putting the Hindu god in a bad light.
On April 21, seven individuals were arrested in Uttar Pradesh, a state in Northern India, concerning the desecration of several mosques. According to the local police, the suspects wanted revenge for the violent clashes in Jahangirpuri during the Hanuman Jayanti parades.
The suspects threw torn pages of the Quran and pig meat, attacking two mosques in Ghosiyana and Kashmiri Mohalla. The suspects also desecrated Gulab Shah Baba, a local Mazar.
Both items used in the attacks are considered offensive by the Muslims.
A collection of Hindu human rights advocates, religious leaders, and other cause-oriented groups released a statement on April 22, 2022, condemning the worsening religious freedom in India.
The statement was initially released by Hindus for Human Rights (HHR), a US-based group that advocates for pluralism and civil and human rights in South Asia and North America. HHR called on religious leaders and other groups to sign the statement published in multiple languages.
For the third year, the United States panel on international religious affairs recommended labeling India as one of the "countries of particular concern." The report accuses India and other countries of engaging or tolerating "systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations" of religious rights.
On Friday, April 15, a mob set the house of an ex-Muslim gym instructor on fire in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. According to local news outlets, the mob was led by a local right-wing Hindu group.
Sajid, whose last name was not provided by local news outlets, was accused of kidnapping a Hindu girl, who turned out to be a 22-year-old woman.
A farm caretaker died after a group of men attacked him and five other individuals for allegedly slaughtering a cow. The attack happened in a farmhouse in Dwarka, a residential neighborhood in western New Delhi.
This year's celebration of the Ram Navami festival was marred by violence and death across multiple states. Ram Navabi is an important Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Ram, the seventh avatar of Vishnu.
Muslim livelihood and businesses in India are in distress as they struggle to hold off the effects of the increasing anti-Muslim sentiments caused by contentious political rhetoric.
In April, a right-wing Hindu group urged the public to boycott Muslim mango traders. The group alleged that Muslims are monopolizing the mango trade in Karnataka.
