AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Around 20 Muslim families in western India have decided to leave their ancestral village after alleging years of harassment, repeated mob attacks and discriminatory policing by supporters of Hindu extremist groups, in what residents describe as a desperate attempt to protect their lives.
Residents of Arala village in Maharashtra’s Sangli district said they no longer felt safe after a recent attack on a Muslim family escalated into a wider campaign of intimidation that culminated in threats, communal slogans and celebrations by the accused following their release on bail.
The independent news outlet The Hindustan Gazette reported that the families had initially planned to march to the Kolhapur bench of the Bombay High Court seeking justice before district officials persuaded them to submit their demands in writing instead.
“We call for support from people. We need strong protection. Tomorrow, an event is being held in our village which could be a conspiracy to cause rioting. Our lives are in danger,” local resident Abid Dange said.
According to Dange, those behind the attacks are affiliated with the Hindu extremist outfit Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliate, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).
“It has been going on for two to three years. They have been coming up with various excuses to target Muslim families,” he said.
The allegations are detailed in a formal complaint submitted on May 29 by Saddham Shaukat Dange, an injured resident who accused more than 30 individuals of carrying out a coordinated attack against his family and later benefiting from what he described as biased police handling of the case.
The complaint states that the violence began on April 28 following a dispute involving kitchen utensils at a mutton shop owned by the family. According to the filing, the disagreement rapidly transformed into a communal assault after local men allegedly mobilized a crowd.
“Kedar Paragaonkar raised ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans and said, ‘Today we will not leave these people,’ leading the gathered mob toward my shop,” the complaint states.
It further alleges that another accused shouted, “Let’s break them, kill the Pakistanis,” before a mob armed with sticks, stones and sharp weapons attacked.
Saddham Dange alleged that one of the accused attempted to kill him using a chopper.
Authorities eventually registered a criminal case under multiple provisions of India’s penal code. However, the families argue that the investigation failed to reflect the seriousness of the attack and say their fears deepened after several accused secured bail and allegedly celebrated publicly upon returning to the village.
For the Muslim residents of Arala, the incidents appear to have shattered any remaining confidence that they can safely continue living in the village.
“Our community is a minority in our village. Police are displaying an anti-Muslim stance. We cannot live in peace,” the complaint states.
The episode has renewed concerns among civil rights advocates over what they describe as a pattern in parts of India where communal disputes involving Muslims escalate into social boycotts, mob violence and displacement, with victims frequently alleging police bias and inadequate protection. For the families of Arala, leaving homes they have occupied for generations has become, they say, their only remaining option.
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