Indian authorities ‘selectively and viciously cracking down on Muslims who dare to speak up’, rights group says amid protests over prophet (PBUH) remarks.

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Monitoring, Attacks against Muslims have allegedly increased since the Bharatiya Janata Party took power.

A top human rights group says India must immediately end a “vicious” crackdown on Muslims who took to the streets to protest against the ruling party official’s remarks about Prophet Muhammad and his wife Aisha.

Authorities were “selectively and viciously cracking down on Muslims who dare to speak up … against the discrimination faced by them,” Amnesty International’s Aakar Patel said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Cracking down on protesters with excessive use of force, arbitrary detention and punitive house demolitions … is in complete violation of India’s commitments under international human rights law.”

Thousands of Muslims have taken to streets across India to protest against anti-Islamic comments made by two members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Two Muslim teenagers were killed and hundreds of others arrested last week in nationwide protests over the comments, which embroiled India in a diplomatic furore and caused widespresd outrage in the Muslim world.

Amnesty demanded an “immediate and unconditional release” of the jailed protesters.
Attacks against Muslims have allegedly increased since the Bharatiya Janata Party took power. / AL Jazeera