Report highlights plight of minorities in Modi’s India on Minorities Rights Day
#MinoritiesPlightInIndia
Islamabad: As world is observing the Minorities Rights Day, today, human rights activists and organizations have raised alarm over the escalating discrimination and marginalization faced by minorities under the BJP-led government, blaming the regime for systematically enforcing the RSS’s Hindutva ideology at the expense of religious and ethnic minorities.
Kashmir Media Service published a report highlighting findings from various global human rights organizations in observance of the day.
Amnesty International, in its 2023 report on India, highlighted the rise of hate crimes against minorities. The report stated, “Violence, harassment, and hate crimes against Muslims and Christians have surged alarmingly under the Modi administration. Government inaction enables impunity and emboldens perpetrators.” (Amnesty International Annual Report, June 2023).
Human Rights Watch (HRW) echoed these concerns in its World Report 2024, stating, “The targeting of minorities and their places of worship has become routine in Modi’s India. The government must immediately halt its discriminatory practices and protect the constitutional rights of all citizens.” (HRW World Report, January 2024).
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues released a report in May 2023 emphasizing India’s worsening minority rights situation. “India’s minorities are facing systemic violence and institutionalized discrimination. International oversight is necessary to uphold their human rights,” the report urged (UN Report on Minority Issues, May 2023).
Prominent Indian activist Harsh Mander, in a 2023 interview with an Indian web portal, The Wire, stated, “Minorities are being systematically excluded through a combination of legal discrimination, economic marginalization, and mob violence. This trajectory endangers the pluralistic identity of India.” (The Wire, November 12, 2023).
The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), passed in December 2019, continues to face backlash for its discriminatory framework. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in its 2024 report reiterated that the CAA undermines India’s secular principles and disproportionately targets Muslims (USCIRF Report, April 2024).
Kenneth Roth, former Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, stated during a global conference in Geneva, “India’s minorities are at the receiving end of a sustained campaign of intimidation and violence. The international community must intervene before irreversible damage is done.” (Geneva Rights Forum, October 2023).
These references underline the growing concerns of activists, organizations, and global institutions about the deteriorating human rights situation in India and occupied Jammu and Kashmir, with calls for urgent action to protect minorities and uphold democratic principles.
