Iran Press/ Asia: According to Indian publication The Wire, the clashes broke out on April 2, after stones were pelted at a motorcycle rally taken out to celebrate the Hindu new year, prompting authorities to clamp a curfew, suspend the internet and deploy 600 police personnel.
Around 35 people were injured in the violence and 46 people were initially taken into custody by police for interrogation, a report by NDTV said, adding that a case was registered against 13 people. Later, the report said that police arrested another 33 people for violating the curfew order.
The reports said houses and shops were set on fire during the episode but did not confirm the number of properties that were damaged.
However, in its condemnation, Pakistan said over 40 properties belonging to the Muslim community were set ablaze and vandalised by "radical Hindu zealots belonging to the BJP-RSS (Bharatiya Janata Party-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) dispensation with the connivance of local security authorities" during the clashes.
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"Equally alarming is the apathy of state machinery which wantonly looked the other way and failed in its basic duty of protecting the lives and properties of its citizens," the statement said, adding that regretfully, minorities in India, especially Muslims continued to live under fear and intimidation.
"The BJP-RSS combine has enabled [the] perpetration of senseless violence against minorities as part of its ‘Hindutva’ agenda marked by hate and majoritarianism," the statement read.
"Pakistan calls upon the international community to take immediate notice of the worrying level of Islamophobia in India and prevail upon Indian authorities to prevent systematic human rights violations against minorities, particularly Muslims, and take effective steps to ensure the safety, security and well-being of all minorities in India," the statement read.
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