When governments cede space to Hindutva

Yet another ‘victory for Hindutva’ has been notched up in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Karnataka. Yet another Muslim has been shown his place.

April 4 saw the end of a 94-year-old tradition, one which symbolised the inclusive nature of Hindu religious practices prevalent in many ancient shrines, which don’t see Muslims as alien, but as part of the devout.

‘New India’, however, wants no part of such inclusiveness. So, this time, the annual rathotsava of the Sri Chennakeshava Swamy temple in Belur, started without the mandatory reading of the Quran. Instead, the Qazi whose forefathers have been performing this ritual since it started, read shlokas, and not in front of the rath as was the custom, but on the steps of the 12th century temple.

This was a violation of the temple manual, which mandates that for the two-day rathotsava to start, followers of other religions, including Islam, also must take tribute from the temple and offer their salutations in front of the rath. But, for those out to protect Hinduism from its own syncretic traditions, such actions are not violations. For them, these are necessary steps to convert a religion known for its embrace of diversity into a rigid, intolerant faith.

According to reports, the Qazi had to give in writing that he did not recite from the Quran.

Imagine what must have gone through his mind as he accepted the tribute from the temple. The original ritual had a generosity of spirit: you offer your prayers to the rath of our Swami, and like any other devotee, take his prasad. To take the tribute despite being stopped from offering his own prayer and being kept away from the rath… could it have been the spiritual experience it must have always been?

Significantly, this change didn’t take place on the insistence of the temple authorities or even the administration, but despite it. The Religious Endowments Department insisted that the tradition as laid down in the temple manual should continue. But ultimately, the will of the mob prevailed — or was allowed to prevail. The temple authorities and the police bowed down in front of the show of strength of the kind that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal have been putting up with impunity since the last nine years almost all over India, and not just in BJP-ruled states.

It is even more significant that though these zealots had demanded an end to this practice in 2022, their demand had been rejected. Last year, the Qazi read out the Quran in front of the rath amid cheers from devotees. After doing so, he spoke of the brotherhood between Hindus and Muslims that this custom symbolised.

That was a time when hostility against Muslims was at a peak in Karnataka, with hijab-clad students being heckled and kept out of classrooms, and Muslim traders being thrown out of temple fairs where they had always sold their wares.

So, what changed this year? The impending elections? Is the BJP so unsure of victory in Karnataka that it feels threatened by a century-old tradition in one temple? If the temple authorities and the police had the guts last year to go against the VHP/Bajrang Dal, why did they become such cowards now?

The last week has seen a series of attacks on our composite culture. The term sounds like a cliché, but does in fact reflect the reality. Many Ram Navami processions degenerated into violence, as they had last year. One would have expected more effective preventive measures this time, but it appears that even governments run by Opposition parties don’t think it a priority to halt the spread of communal hatred and violence. None of the Hindus who dominate the political spectrum seem to care that the very name of Ram, and festivities associated with him, now spell violence.

Then came the acquittal of all the 39 accused in the 1987 Maliana massacre in which 72 Muslims died. The carnage took place under a Congress government, and for 22 of the 36 years since then, ‘secular’ governments have ruled Uttar Pradesh. Yet, they did nothing to ensure that the necessary evidence was brought to court. But then, it’s not the first time ‘secular’ governments have shown such apathy towards ensuring justice for minorities. Finally came the deletion of Mughal history from NCERT’s history texts. That was to be expected; the exercise had begun way back when AB Vajpayee headed the first BJP-led coalition at the Centre.

Sadder than all these blows was the image conjured up of a Qazi being forbidden from doing what he and his ancestors had always done: reading his holy book in front of a Hindu deity.

(Jyoti Punwani is a senior journalist.)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the authors' own and do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.