An international watchdog has given a warning that violence and discrimination against India's minority Muslim community appeared to be becoming a “state policy”.
Muslims in the country are increasingly being subjected to “summary and abusive punishments” by people in positions of power, on charges of wrongdoing, Human Rights Watch said on Friday.
The New York-based advocacy group cited a public flogging of Muslim men by police on Tuesday as the latest example.
Videos circulating online showed a policeman striking the men with a baton as others held them against an electricity pole.
The incident took place in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The men were accused of pelting stones during a "garba", a traditional dance from the western state which is performed for the nine-day Hindu festival of Navaratri.
State police on Friday confirmed the identity of the officer involved and ordered an inquiry into the incident.
Human Rights Watch said the flogging followed a pattern of punishment witnessed across several states with governments headed by Mr Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), including the demolition of homes without prior legal authorisation.
In Madhya Pradesh, authorities on Tuesday demolished the homes of three Muslim men arrested over an alleged scuffle with Hindus following a dispute over a garba, claiming that they were built illegally.
At least 19 Muslim men were detained across the state for allegedly throwing stones at Hindu revellers at garbas. They were charged with attempt to murder and rioting.
“The authorities in several Indian states are carrying out violence against Muslims as a kind of summary punishment,” Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in the report.
“Officials blatantly disregarding the rule of law are sending a message to the public that Muslims can be discriminated against and attacked.”
Indian opposition parties and rights activists say violence and discrimination against the country’s Muslim population of about 200 million have increased since Mr Modi took office in 2014.
In recent months, authorities in BJP-run states have demolished dozens of homes and businesses of Muslim men accused of sectarian violence, in what critics said were acts of "retribution" and "collective punishment" against the community.
Officials overseeing these demolitions said the structures were built illegally.
In June, authorities razed the two-storey house of Javed Mohammad, a local politician in Prayagraj city in Uttar Pradesh state. Weeks earlier, dozens of Muslim homes were razed in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Delhi following protests against a BJP representative for derogatory comments against the Prophet Mohammed during a TV debate.
Human Rights Watch said such demolitions “compounded the vulnerability of women, children, older persons, and people with disabilities who live there".
"Indian authorities are increasingly acting as if summary punishment has become a state policy,” Ms Ganguly said.
"If the Indian government does not take immediate action to roll back discriminatory laws, policies, and actions targeting minorities, rule of law will be replaced by bulldozers and sticks.”
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The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
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West Ham United 2 (Antonio 73', Ogbonna 90 5')
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Juvenile arthritis
Along with doctors, families and teachers can help pick up cases of arthritis in children.
Most types of childhood arthritis are known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. JIA causes pain and inflammation in one or more joints for at least six weeks.
Dr Betina Rogalski said "The younger the child the more difficult it into pick up the symptoms. If the child is small, it may just be a bit grumpy or pull its leg a way or not feel like walking,” she said.
According to The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases in US, the most common symptoms of juvenile arthritis are joint swelling, pain, and stiffness that doesn’t go away. Usually it affects the knees, hands, and feet, and it’s worse in the morning or after a nap.
Limping in the morning because of a stiff knee, excessive clumsiness, having a high fever and skin rash are other symptoms. Children may also have swelling in lymph nodes in the neck and other parts of the body.
Arthritis in children can cause eye inflammation and growth problems and can cause bones and joints to grow unevenly.
In the UK, about 15,000 children and young people are affected by arthritis.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
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Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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