On the heels of Uttarakhand UCC law, another BJP-led government in Assam repealed the long-standing Assam Muslim Marriage and Divorce Registration Act of 1935 on February 23. The decision was taken during a state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. These measures reflect the ruling BJP’s desperation before the fast-approaching general election, as it seems the opening of an incomplete Ram mandir built on the ruins of the historic Babri Masjid failed to produce the desired results. The incidents of targeting and demolishing ancient mosques, hate speeches, and violent acts have multiplied in recent months.
Bereft of any positive issue or slogan, three topics are usually used by Hindutva forces to win over Hindu voters in elections: cows, Pakistan, and Muslims. Election-related concerns centered on Pakistan energized the country in 2019 and helped the BJP win votes, as demonstrated by the utilization of the so-called cow issue in 2014. But now, it seems that the elections of 2024 will directly target Muslims, as low-intensity conflicts are manufactured by using the local administration for communal polarization.
Recent events such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the unfinished Ram temple on the site of the demolished Babri Masjid, allowing Hindu worship in the basement of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, bulldozing an 800-year-old mosque near Qutb Minar in Delhi’s Mehrauli neighborhood, the handover of the shrine of Sheikh Badruddin and the 100 hectares of land in the Barnawa district of Baghpat to Hindus, the demolition of madrasa and mosque and the death of five people in police firing in Haldwani, and the passing of a Uniform Civil Code by the state governments under the BJP are glaring examples of manufactured conflict. To top it all, in the recent budget presented in Parliament, funds for several programs related to minorities were either cancelled or substantially reduced, as was the closure of Maulana Azad Education Foundation.
Coming back to the state of affairs in the BJP-ruled Assam, since taking office in May 2021, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been constantly targeting Muslims, which constitute around 35 percent of the total population of the state. First, he disbanded the Madrassa Education Board, which had existed since the British period, and converted all 610 government-run madrasas into high schools. He also launched eviction drives on the pretext of removing encroachment in different Muslim localities of the state. Over 6,450 families, mostly Muslims of Bengali origin, have been evicted from their homes since May 2021. Recently, authorities in Assam’s Sonitpur district evicted over 2,500 families. Most of the people living in the area are Bengali-speaking Muslims. The authorities also demolished two mosques.
It seems the present CM, who is a Congress renegade, has turned this tribal-dominated state into a new Hindutva laboratory. His government’s recent decision to revoke the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Registration Act of 1935 reflects his bent of mind.
The “obsolete pre-independence” Act was repealed in a bid to end child marriages, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. “This Act contained provisions allowing marriage registration even if the bride and groom had not reached the legal ages of 18 and 21, as required by law,” Sarma posted on X.
It was described by his cabinet colleague Jayanta Mallabaruah as a significant step toward a uniform civil code (UCC).
Mallabaruah made it clear that the Special Marriages Act will now apply to all issues relating to Muslim marriages and divorces.
Speaking with medipersons, he said, “The District Commissioner and the District Registrar will now be in charge of registering Muslim marriages and divorces under the new structure. The 94 Muslim registrars who were employed under the revoked Act will also be released from their positions and given a lump sum payment of Rs 2 lakh.”
The decision’s broader implications were also highlighted by Mallabarua, particularly in view of the state’s initiatives to outlaw child marriage.
The minister said, “By repealing this Act, the administration hopes to address the issue of child marriage, which is defined as the union of individuals under the ages of 18 for women and 21 for men.”
Reacting to the Assam government’s controversial decision, AIUDF president and MP Badruddin Ajmal said it will sound the death knell of the BJP government in the state.
“They are trying to provoke the Muslims and polarize voters in their favor,” Ajmal told reporters on the sidelines of a program in Guwahati.
“We will definitely oppose the repeal of the Act, but after the elections. We will keep silent for now,” he added.
Referring to the one-time compensation of Rs two lakh to be provided to Muslim Marriage Registrars for their rehabilitation after the Act is repealed, Ajmal said the Qazis are not beggars.
“Through the media, I request that they not accept a single paisa from the government,” Ajmal said.
Of even greater concern to the country are hate speeches and the spread of false news. A report on incidents of hate speech in India in 2023 is available from the India Hate Lab (IHL). Of the 668 hate speech incidents against Muslims that it tracked down over the course of the year, it discovered that 75% happened in BJP-ruled states, and 43% of hate speech incidents took place in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. The Bajrang Dal, the youth branch of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and this organization were found to be the leading hate speech organizers of the year. According to IHL, the Israel-Gaza conflict was brought up in more than 25% of all events that followed Hamas’ attack on Israel in an effort to incite animosity toward Muslims in India.
Hate speech has a big part in inciting riots and tensions within communities. In January, seven hate speech incidents were documented by the media. In general, these hate speeches demanded that mosques be demolished, made erroneous claims of love jihad inciting hatred against Muslims, boycotted meat with halal certification, used bulldozers against Muslims, and called for harsher measures against Muslims in the wake of the communal disturbances on Mira Road. The hate speeches were delivered by BJP politicians, including Anantkumar Hegde, BJP Member of Parliament and Karnataka leader KS Eshwarappa, MLA T Raja, MLA Nitesh Rane in Solapur and Mumbai in Maharashtra, and MLA Geeta Jain in Mumbai.
According to the monthly monitoring of communal violence conducted by the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, four out of the five communal riots that took place in January were directly related to the Pran Pratisthan in Ayodhya. Out of these four communal riots, two were reported in Mumbai and Nagpur, Maharashtra; one in Vadodara, Gujarat; and lastly, in Madhya Pradesh – all in BJP-ruled states. It is important to mention here that in 2022 and 2023, 28 communal riots took place around India, directly related to Rama Navami processions.
The developments in the last month before and after the consecration of the Ram Mandir are ominous.
Communal riots coinciding with the Ram Mandir opening were used as a pretext to invite demolitions of properties belonging to Muslims. Commonplace daily conflicts were given a communal dimension and purposefully portrayed as significant occurrences that called for and encouraged “collective punishment” against Muslims. For example, Muslim properties on Mumbai’s Mira Road were demolished as a result of sectarian tension.
All these incidents and developments suggest that Hindutva politics, which thrives on historical myths, is running out of steam.