Anti-Muslim Pogrom

On October 3, 2021, a group of Muslims and Hindus had an argument over the placement of religious flags in Loahara Naka Chowk in the town of Kawardha. An eyewitness claimed that following the altercation, a green flag had been torn down, and some hours later, a saffron flag was removed in retaliation. Two days later, right-wing Hindu extremist organisations, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal, held a rally protesting the flag removal. The rally led to targeted violence against Muslims. Muslims were beaten-up and their properties were vandalized by Hindu extremists. Slogans such as “Jab Mulle Kate Jayenge, Ram Ram Chillayenge (When Muslims will be massacred, they would cry Ram Ram). Open calls to massacring Muslims were made. Law enforcement agencies had to impose Curfew in order to control the situations. FIRs were registered against a number of people those who were responsible.

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