ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Reports from various international human rights organizations indicate a significant rise in intolerance and hate speech against religious minorities in India and Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014.
According to Kashmir Media Service, this trend is also reported in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, a region under direct New Delhi rule since the abrogation of its special status in 2019.
A report released by KMS highlighted that on the International Day of Tolerance observed worldwide on November 16, Hindutva groups, with the tacit support of the ruling establishment, continue to use violence, intimidation, terror, and harassment against minorities on a daily basis in India.
Indian forces and agencies have also waged a campaign of oppression against the civilian population in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The question of rising intolerance in India and IIOJK is a subject of intense debate. Human rights organizations and some media outlets have indicated a worrying trend, while the BJP and its controlled media have consistently denied it.
Human rights organisations have repeatedly raised alarms about increased hate speech and violence against minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians.
Critics argue that the BJP’s “Hindu first” (Hindutva) ideology and controversial measures, such as the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in 2024 — which excludes Muslim refugees from a fast-track citizenship path — have fostered an environment of discrimination.
While some reports suggest a significant rise in anti-minority hate speech and violence, the BJP and its supporters dismiss the trend as isolated incidents or label critical reporting as part of an “anti-India reports industry” run by “vested interests.”
Since the revocation of Articles 370 and 35A in August 2019, which removed the IIOJK’s special status and brought it under New Delhi’s direct control as a Union Territory, observers and local residents have reported an atmosphere of fear and suppression of dissent.
Under the BJP government, a wave of attacks on Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, and Dalits has been documented, including demolition of homes, religious sites, and commercial assets by Hindutva groups such as the BJP, RSS, Bajrang Dal, and VHP.
This has created “tension and unease” across India, with minority communities reporting feelings of insecurity.
International organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have raised concerns over the lack of prosecution for human rights abuses by Indian forces, including restrictions on basic freedoms, impunity for perpetrators, and a pervasive environment of fear in IIOJK.
Revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status
The 2019 revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status is frequently cited by critics as a move that has heightened anxiety among the local Muslim population over identity and control of their territory.
Observers also note attempts to alter the territory’s demographic structure, along with censorship and banning of books critical of the state.
The report highlighted that India, under the BJP, is increasingly exhibiting open and violent intolerance toward religious minorities. Kashmiri people, in particular, face the harshest forms of state repression for asserting their inalienable right to self-determination.
While the International Day of Tolerance aims to promote inclusion, peaceful coexistence, and respect for different beliefs, values, and cultures, Hindutva extremists under the patronage of the Modi government continue to threaten, attack, and kill minorities, vandalize their places of worship, and subject them to persecution physically, psychologically, and economically.
The report noted that extremist Hindus, largely affiliated with the RSS, BJP, VHP, and Bajrang Dal, have been emboldened by government support to unleash terror on minority communities.
Muslims, Christians, and low-caste Hindus are treated as second-class citizens in what is often called the world’s largest democracy.
Muslims and other minorities are reported to live in constant fear, as policies are increasingly shaped by Hindutva ideology.
Attacks include killings over beef consumption, harassment of Muslim women for wearing veils, banning halal meat, changing Islamic names of towns and streets, and replacing them with Hindu nationalist nomenclature.
Anti-Christian violence in India
The report also highlighted anti-Christian and anti-Dalit violence, including attacks on churches, burning of religious literature, assaults on worshipers, and attacks on schools.
These violations occur despite constitutional protections for freedom of religion.
Pakistan has consistently raised the issue of growing intolerance and human rights violations in India and IIOJK at international forums, including the United Nations, calling for accountability and for the international community to facilitate a resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN resolutions.
