A few days before India celebrates its 70th Republic Day, the Darul Uloom seminary in Deoband issued an advisory to its students to avoid unnecessary travel on Republic Day.
The advisory said,“ Dear students, on Republic Day, you travel to different places. There is checking at one place after the other. A feeling of uneasiness is caused. An environment of fear is created. Keeping these circumstances in mind, you are advised to avoid travelling unless necessary. Avoid indulging in unnecessary arguments,” reported The Indian Express.
Needless to say, Darul Uloom and its authorities were criticised on social media for spreading ‘fear’ and attempting to ‘divide/break India’. Many even confused the advisory with a fatwa.
But the advisory, in fact, reflects the sense of unease and insecurity among Muslims in India, that is amplified on days of national importance such as the Republic Day and Independence Day.
According to a report by The Telegraph, Maulana Muneer Uddin Usmani, a senior theology teacher who is in charge of the hostels at the 162-year-old seminary, said that the advisory had been issued after several days of meetings.
“Police and other authorities step up security checks during occasions of national importance. Our students have been harassed in the past; even attacked by a section of people. So they need to be extra careful if travelling is unavoidable,” he told The Telegraph.
The Fear Of Harassment
It is ironic that on Republic Day, certain sections of the society in the country feel the need to restrict their movements. They fear being harassed by cops at checkpoints or being detained for their names and the way they dress.
And maybe that’s why many Twitter users explained why Darul Uloom advisory makes sense to them.
Delhi resident Mohammed Shoaib (name changed) spoke to The Quint about an incident from two years ago, when he was travelling in Central Delhi on the eve of Republic Day. “I was shifting some of my household items to a new flat. The cops stopped the auto I was travelling in and asked my name. After I revealed my name, they wanted to check my bags,” he said.
One of Shoaib’s bags had a prayer mat which prompted a flurry of questions.
“I was questioned for for half an hour and was asked to prove my nationality. I had to hand over my voter ID, driving license and pan card and even then the questions did not end. They kept asking ‘where are you from?’ and ‘when did you come to India?’”Mohammed Shoaib, Delhi resident
“Since then,” Shoaib says, “I have stopped travelling on Republic Day. Why land in unnecessary trouble?”
Systems That Dictate Nationalism
Muslims in India have been asked, time and again, to prove their love for the country. This phenomenon of testing Muslim loyalty, that they have almost internalised, is also marginally magnified during days of national importance.
It is exhilarating to chant Jai Hind and sing the national anthem in full fervour while the tricolour is being hoisted. But doing this under watchful eyes that are taking a litmus test of your nationalism, not so fun.
In August 2017, the Uttar Pradesh government asked state-aided madrassas to celebrate Independence Day and submit video footage to minority welfare officers in all districts of the state.
While managers of madrassas have expressed hurt and condemned the intention of the administration, the government did not explain why this directive was not forwarded to every educational institution in the state.
On 26 January, 2018, communal clashes over display of patriotism in Kasganj, UP killed one and injured a dozen.
According to a report by News 18, while the Hindu community in Kasganj claims they asked the Muslims to chant Vande Mataram and were beaten up and fired upon by the Muslims, the Muslims claim their Republic Day celebrations were mobbed by Hindus, who beat the local Muslims and clashed with the police. This year, the district administration of Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh has invoked Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) 144.
The list of instances goes on for quite a bit.
So, rather than raising eyebrows at Darul Uloom’s appeal, it would be wise to question the incidents that led to it. When a particular community of a country restricts their movements due to fear for safety and feels they are being forcefully assimilated into the popular idea of ‘patriotism’, it means time has come to reflect on the glaring irony of the Republic.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)