Another incident of intolerance in India

The leading news outlet,”Times of India” (TOI) has published a news item on 6 March 2021 that a scuffle between gentlemen cadets (GCs) at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) has left three GCs admitted to Military Hospital with injuries. It is alleged that a few GCs – some from Central Asian countries and others who were Indian Cadets – got into a physical fight after a heated argument on Wednesday night (3 March 2021).

A source familiar with the development told the Times of India (TOI) “that a fight started with few GCs, and drew attention when many others also got involved. It is not clear as to what precipitated the fight”.

IMA officials on Friday refused to give any confirmation about the health conditions of the cadets. An inquiry has been initiated, and the matter is under investigation. Indian authorities havedeclined to share any further reports.

As a matter of fact, India is maintaining diplomatic, economic, and trade relations with most of the Central Asian countries. And they are getting substantial economic benefits and favors as trade concessions, market access. Indian trade with most of them is in surplus and favors India. On the diplomatic front, India avails their support and votes in UN and other international forums in Indian favor. Most Central Asian countries are rich in natural resources but lack industrialization, so it depends on imports. India avails their cheaper and abundance of natural resources and exports industrial products to them- a net beneficiary.

On the other hand, India hates Muslims as Muslims rule India for almost 800 years before the British colonialized India. Most Muslim rulers came from Central Asian countries. From the core of heart, India hates them but exploits their strength in its own favor only. In the most recent event of a conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, India supported Armenia and supplied military assistance and advanced weapons to Armenia against a Muslim country – Azerbaijan.

Extremist Indian groups supported by BJP Government are determined to establish a “Pure Hindu State” and demanding that all non-Hindus, either convert to Hinduism or leave India. They have asked all no-Hindus – Muslims to go back to Middle-East, and Christians to Europe.

While getting training in India, the Muslim Cadets has witnessed that the state is killing, torturing, suppressing Muslims, especially raping Muslim women, damaging their businesses and properties, cannot keep silent, but argued.

The arguments got heated, and a physical hand scuff started. As they were in small numbers and Indian cadets, with authorities’ help, suppressed them, the fight resulted in injuries. The Indian authorities are shay of revealing all the facts, and status of injuries, by giving a lame excuse that the matter is under investigation. But, it can be imagined that a few foreign cadets, if attacked by a charged mob of Hindu extremists, with the support of authorities, the injuries can be fatal.

A country thatMuslims ruled for almost eight hundred years, and now Muslims cannot live a peaceful life there. Their lives, property, and honor is under threat by extremists; the irony is that the law enforcement institutions are biased and supporting the extremist openly. Sometimes they help the extremist and sometimes keep silent as spectators and facilitate them to kill, torture, and damage Muslim’s properties and business.

It is hoped that the Indian Authorities may conduct an impartial inquiry and identify the criminals involved and punish them with the strictest rules and regulations. Such incidents should be avoided in the future, and an anti-Muslim campaign may reach an end.

We all are human beings and must think above religious differences. We should respect human lives, and the state is responsible for providing full protection to human lives and their property, belongings, and businesses.

Author:  Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan, Sinologist (ex-Diplomat), Editor, Analyst, Non-Resident Fellow of CCG (Center for China and Globalization), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan. (E-mail: [email protected]).