India Persecution Tracker | 2024/2 – South Asia Justice Campaign

Overview of human rights abuses and violations against India’s religious minorities from 1 February to 30 April, 2024.

Overview
Deprivation of life
Arrests and detentions
Torture and ill-treatment
Women and girls
Advocacy of religious hatred
Religious freedom
Discrimination in access to economic, social & cultural rights
Denial of universal suffrage
Fair trial rights and effective remedy

The period under review, February to April 2024, has seen the trend of anti-minority rhetoric and abuses worsening. The background to this aggravation is elections to India’ national parliament, that are underway now. The ruling BJP has always relied on social polarisation and the othering of India’s minorities, as its electoral trump card. This election is no different. What has been different though is the party’s singular reliance on sectarian appeal from the start of electoral campaign, and the role of the seniormost political leaders in this othering, indeed dehumanising of minorities, especially Muslims. This signalling from the top has had devastating consequences for minorities throughout the poll period, with frequent instances of hate and incitement, often violence, as well as the normalisation of the toxic atmosphere, conducive to anti-minority hostility and discrimination.

We reported in the last edition of the India Persecution Tracker, how BJP and its ‘star campaigner’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi set the tone for the election campaign, with the inauguration in January 2024, of the Ram Temple on the ruins of a destroyed mosque in Ayodhya town. Since the formal announcement of the prolonged general election 2024 process by India’s election authorities, on 16 March, BJP has only doubled down on its sectarian appeal. A particularly egregious episode took place on 21 April, when addressing a large election rally, Narendra Modi, in a direct refence to India’s Muslims, called them ‘infiltrators’ and those with many children. Despite widespread consternation by Indians and the wider international community, he has continued his incendiary rhetoric, manufacturing fear among India’s Hindu majority, and dehumanising Muslims. Other BJP leaders, from the senior-most – including Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, and Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath – to local functionaries, have continued this line of attack against Muslims in their messaging.

Below are some other highlights from the period under review, with a bearing on the life, liberty and wellbeing of India’s minorities.

India commenced its seven-phase, 46 day-long General Election to the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament), scheduled to conclude on the 1^st of June, 2024. Alongside, the BJP escalated its targeting of critics – including opposition leaders, journalists, and HRDs, dangerously skewing the electoral playing field in its favour. (See the collapsible tab at the bottom of this page for more on this)
Less than a week before the poll dates were announced, the central government announced the rules for implementation of the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), paving the way for fast-tracked citizenship for non-Muslims fleeing religious persecution in India’s neighbouring Muslim-majority countries. The CAA, which was described by the UN as ‘fundamentally discriminatory’, is planned to be used in conjunction with the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC), a nationwide replication of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Assam state that has already left 1.9 million residents on the verge of statelessness. The combination of the CAA and the NRC, many fear, could put Muslims across India at the risk of disenfranchisement. Some BJP poll candidates’ promises to amend India’s secular Constitution, if elected to power, further underline the Hindu-majoritarian turn India has taken in recent years, and the rapidly escalating risks for its minorities.
In this period, India’s minorities continued to face human rights violations and abuses, including extrajudicial killings, widespread arbitrary detentions and custodial torture, and the advocacy of religious hatred amounting to incitement.
Hindu extremist groups with close links to the BJP continued to harass, intimidate, assault, and murder persons belonging to religious minorities across the country. Muslim and Christian individuals, homes, businesses, and places of worship continued to be targeted with impunity. After the commencement of the General Election, Hindu extremist groups seemed to have at least partly diverted their focus towards voter outreach programmes, seeking ‘100% turnout’ for ‘the Hindu cause’.
In BJP-ruled states, instead of acting against the perpetrators of violations, authorities continued to criminalise Muslims and subject them to collective punishment as reprisal attacks, particularly using arbitrary demolitions of their homes and businesses, as well as arbitrary detentions.
As the General Election commenced, the use of hateful and incendiary rhetoricagainst minorities by powerful political and religious leadersappeared to reach a fever pitch. We have documented 18 speeches by senior, elected leaders of the BJP that appeared to meet the United Nations’ threshold for ‘top-level’ incitement to discrimination, hostility of violence against minorities. These were in addition to 130 more such speeches by other senior political and religious figures. 95 per cent of these were reported from BJP-ruled states, and 47 per cent were reported since commencement of General Election. Such rhetoric invited little to no response from state police or election authorities.
Against this backdrop, India’s domestic mechanisms continued to largely fail to ensure effective remedy and accountability, with state institutions and the judicial process remaining skewed towards powerful Hindu nationalist interests, and against minorities.
International institutions and experts continued to raise alarm over the continuing attacks on India’s minorities and the general erosion of human rights. The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission conducted a Congressional hearing to discuss the situation. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended, once again, that India be designated as a Country of Special Concern. And a group of 25 UN Special Procedures mandate holders warned:

“In light of continuing reports of violence and attacks against religious, racial and ethnic minorities, and other grave human rights issues, and the apparent lack of response by authorities to concerns raised, we are compelled to express our grave concern, especially given the need for a conducive atmosphere for free and fair elections in accordance with the early warning aspect of our mandates.”

Key figures (1 February to 30 April, 2024):

State Actors

6
Muslim protesters shot dead in Uttarakhand by police forces; 56+ arrested in post-protest crackdown

15
Muslims shot at and injured in alleged staged ‘encounters’ by police forces in Uttar Pradesh

100+
Muslims arrested/detained across India on various other pretexts; 19+ Christians arrested under anti-conversion laws

18
instances of elected BJP leaders engaging in top-level incitement to hostility, discrimination, or violence against minorities

NON-STATE ACTORS

37+ Muslims, 24+ Christians (including 10 Dalits)
injured in violent assaults by Hindu extremists across India

130
instances of top-level incitement against minorities by senior Hindu nationalist figures

The human rights violations against religious minorities that are detailed in subsequent sections took place against the backdrop of the ongoing General Election to India’s National Parliament, which the BJP is widely expected to win. Alongside, the Indian government has also escalated its targeting of opposition leaders and parties, journalists, human rights defenders (HRDs) and civil society organisations. Experts have also raised serious concerns about electoral integrity, with the BJP’s moves to skew the electoral playing field in its favour leading a psephologist to note that India is currently witnessing the ‘least free and fair election’ in its independent history. Some highlights from the period under review include:

Targeting of opposition leaders and parties using central government agencies: In the weeks prior to voting, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), on charges of money laundering, and has remained in custody at the time of writing. Other top opposition leaders who were previously arrested, like Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Jharkhand’s former Chief Minister Hemant Soren, have also continued to languish in jail. Central investigative agencies also conducted fresh raids against multiple leaders of the opposition Trinamool Congress (TMC) party.

Tax authorities too appeared to have been deployed.The Indian National Congress (INC) Party alleged that it received income tax demands amounting to a total of around Rs. 3500 crore (around $420 million).

Targeting of journalists: During the period under review, at least two foreign journalists – Vanessa Dougnac (the South Asia correspondent for multiple international news organisations) and Avani Dias (the South Asia correspondent for ABC News) were forced to leave the country, after their visas were reportedly revoked. Both alleged that they were targeted by authorities for their critical coverage of the government. In January, the X social media account of Hindutva Watch, an online portal that aggregates hate crimes and hate speech by Hindu extremists, was blocked in India at the demand of the government. In December, an Amnesty investigation had revealed that Israeli-made Pegasus spyware, sold only to government entities, was used to compromise the mobile devices of two prominent Indian journalists known for their critical coverage of the government.

Targeting of HRDs and CSOs: Prominent HRDs and CSOs targeted during the period under review included Centre for Equity Studies (CES) – in February, CES offices and the residence of its director were raided over alleged violations of foreign donation rules. Major civil society organisation that had their licenses to receive foreign donations cancelled this year include Centre for Policy Research (CPR), a prominent think-tank, and World Vision India, a Christian charity.

Monopolising political funding: Electoral bonds, the opaque financing instrument that had enabled anonymous corporate funding of political parties, were outlawed by the Supreme Court in February. Subsequently released data revealed that the BJP has already consolidated a significant resource advantage, amassing a total of over Rs. 6000 crore ($720 million) through these instruments between 2019 and 2024. Several of its top donors were found to have previously faced investigations by central government agencies, and after donating to the BJP, secured lucrative government contracts, subsidies, and other forms of policy support.

Subversion of Election Commission: In the months leading up to the polls, the BJP government enacted changes to the process of appointments to India’s once-vaunted Election Commission (EC), giving the executive branch of government a virtual veto in the matter. With the abrupt resignation of one of the three Election Commissioners, and the scheduled retirement of another, a panel led by Prime Minister Modi appointed two handpicked ex-bureaucrats to the EC, a week before election dates were announced. The EC has since then, largely failed to stand up to the torrent of violations of election laws and procedures that have been reported, particularly those by the BJP. Most notably, and despite the presence of legal provisions that prohibit any appeals to religion while seeking votes, and criminalise the promotion of enmity between different religious groups while seeking votes, the EC has appeared to give a free hand to BJP leaders’ vitriolic rhetoric against Muslims. (see section on Advocacy of Religious Hatred)

During the period under review, the Indian Army was accused of killing three civilians in Jammu & Kashmir, what appeared to be a coordinated operation across five villages following a militant attack. Police forces in BJP-ruled Uttarakhand shot dead six Muslim protesters, and police in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh were accused of carrying out yet another staged ‘encounter’ killing.

Six Muslims shot dead by Uttarakhand Police during protests over mosque demolition

8 February, 2024 (Haldwani, Uttarakhand): At least six Muslim civilians in BJP-ruled Uttarakhand were shot dead by police whilst they were protesting against local authorities’ demolition of a mosque and adjacent Muslim seminary. The killings occurred shortly after the state Chief Minister convened a high-level meeting of senior police officials where he was reported to have issued ‘shoot on sight’ orders. Locals later told a civil society fact-finding mission that the actual death toll may be higher than six, and could be as high as 20.

In a subsequent police crackdown after the protests, armed officers are alleged to have barged into over 300 homes in Muslim-concentration neighbourhoods of the Banbhoolpura locality, assaulting residents – including women and children – and causing extensive damage to property. Contradicting the police’s claim that 58 persons were arrested in total, locals told the civil society fact-finding mission that over a hundred people were detained or arrested. A week after the violence, authorities were also reported to have begun proceedings to confiscating the properties of at least nine Muslims.

The crackdown also triggered an exodus of Muslims from Haldwani, with hundreds of residents boarding buses to neighbouring towns and cities.

The unrest in Haldwani was centred around local authorities’ attempts to demolish a mosque that allegedly partially stood on government land. Eviction notices were served to the mosque authorities on 30 January, and the matter was pending before the state High Court on 14 February, 2024. Locals who peacefully resisted the authorities’ decision to arbitrarily demolish the mosque before the court date, were reportedly assaulted by police personnel, allegedly sparking stone-pelting and arson, in response. Subsequently, a curfew, an internet blockade, and ‘shoot-at-sight’ orders were imposed.

Uttarakhand has witnessed a steady rise in communal tensions and anti-Muslim violence in recent years, with Hindu extremist groups allied to the BJP seeking to drive Muslims out and establish the state as Devabhoomi (God’s land) a punyabhoomi (holy land) for the Hindus. This campaign has manifested in occasional outbreaks of anti-Muslim violence, as well as persistent and widespread calls for their social and economic boycott. In June 2023, incitement and targeted attacks in Purola district had led dozens of Muslim families to flee to other regions. The BJP-led state administration has, instead of acting to curb incitement and violence, carried out its own parallel targeting campaign against Muslims. In May, 2023, the state’s Chief Minister acknowledged the razing of 300 ‘illegal’ Muslim mazaars (graves of Muslim seers)as a significant achievement of his government. Extremist Hindu groups, such as the Devbhoomi Raksha Abhiyan (Movement to Protect the Holy Land) have carried out their own demolition campaigns against Muslim structures, illegally razing dozens of them, often in the presence of police personnel.

1 Sikh farmer-protester killed, dozens injured after Haryana Police uses excessive force

14 February, 2024 (Shambhu, Haryana): At least one person was killed, and dozens injured, after police forces in BJP-ruled Haryana resorted to excessive use of force against Sikh farmer-protesters demanding a minimum legal guarantee for crop prices. The police action reportedly took place to stop the protesters from crossing over into national capital Delhi.

The protesters were reportedly targeted using lathis (sticks), tear gas (allegedly delivered through drones, in the first such reported instance in the country), and proscribed pellet-firing shotguns similar to those that had previously been used only in Indian-administered Kashmir. While police later denied using pellet guns, but medical reports accessed by reporters confirmed that several farmers did indeed suffer pellet injuries. Haryana Police officials are also accused of crossing over into Punjab state, abducting a protestor, and assaulting him with rods and sticks. (see section on Torture)

17-year-old Dalit boy killed, allegedly in firing by UP Police

28 February, 2024 (Rampur, UP): A 17-year-old Dalit boy was killed in the Silai Baragaon village amid clashes between villagers belonging to the Dalit and Kurmi communities, and the police. Two other Dalit men were also reportedly injured in the clashes.

The victims’ families and witnesses claimed that the boy died of a bullet injury sustained amid police firing. Police officers quoted in news reports alleged that the boy was killed in cross-firing between the Dalits and the Kurmis.

Violent clashes are reported to have erupted after local Dalits erected a banner containing a photo of Dalit icon B.R. Ambedkar, raising the ire of members of the ‘higher’ caste Kurmi community (officially designated as being among Other Backward Classes). A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered in connection with the incident, naming 23 persons including 4 police personnel, and a magisterial inquiry has been ordered.

2 Kuki-Zo men killed after Manipur Police opens fire at protesters attempting to storm police complex

16 February, 2024 (Churachandpur, Manipur): At least two Kuki-Zo protestors were killed and around 25 injured after police forces opened fire at a mob outside the offices of the district police chief.

Witnesses alleged that a mob of around 400 persons had attempted to storm the police complex, seeking the revocation of the suspension of a Kuki police constable. The constable had been suspended from service after purported images of him with armed militants appeared on social media.

Police claimed that they initially used tear gas to disperse the mob and subsequently used live ammunition as a last resort.

Separately, Manipur continued to witness further violence between armed militant groups. At least five more killings were reported, including three in two separate gunfights on 14 February, and two more on 13 April. The latest killings have taken the total death toll to over 215 in Manipur, which has been rocked by violence between members of the predominantly-Hindu Meitei community and the predominantly-Christian Kuki-Zo tribes since May, 2023. Kukis have accounted for the bulk of the casualties. Over 50,000 have been displaced, with conditions in Kuki relief camps reported to be particularly dire. The BJP-led state government in Manipur has been openly hostile towards the Kukis, who it has deemed terrorists and drug traffickers. In August, 2023, India’s Supreme Court had formed a committee to look into survivor relief and also mandated the issuance of essential documentation for those displaced. It is yet to condemn or address the role of state and state-backed actors in the violence. Early in September 2023, a group of 19 UN Special Procedures mandate holders had expressed concern over the grave humanitarian situation in Manipur, and the steadily deteriorating condition of religious and ethnic minorities elsewhere in the country.

4 instances of custodial death (3 Dalits, 1 OBC) across three states (UP, TN, Rajasthan)

During the period under review, there were at least three reported instances of custodial death, allegedly due to torture by police personnel. Victims included:

12 April, 2024 (Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh): A 45-year-old Dalit man who died in police custody after allegedly being subject to custodial torture. Two police officials have reportedly been suspended in connection with the incident.
12 April, 2024 (Villupuram, Tamil Nadu): A 44-year-old Dalit man who died after allegedly being subject to custodial torture by police personnel. The death was reportedly categorised as an ‘unnatural death’ and the family forced to hurriedly cremate the body. Subsequent requests by the family for a police investigation into the case were reportedly stalled, with investigators citing election duty.
23 April, 2024 (Rajkot, Rajasthan): Two men, including a Dalit and a member of an Other Backward Classes (OBC) community, who died after they were allegedly subject to custodial torture by police personnel. An Assistant Sub-Inspector has been arrested in connection with the killings. The slain men had reportedly been released from police custody, and had succumbed to their injuries in hospital a week apart from each other.

**Muslim imam murdered by three masked assailants**

27 April, 2024 (Ajmer, Rajasthan): A 30-year-old Muslim imam (priest) was found murdered inside his mosque quarters, reportedly after being bludgeoned. Some children who witnessed the murder told police that there were three masked assailants, who assaulted the priest with sticks before fleeing the scene with his mobile phone.

Further details on this incident are awaited.

The period under review was marked by mass arrests and detentions of Muslims on multiple pretexts: In February, mass arrests of Muslims were reported in BJP-ruled Uttarakhand amid protests against the demolition of a mosque by local authorities, and from West Bengal, where they were blamed for communal violence that had occurred last year. Preventive detention laws continued to be abused against Muslims in multiple states. Christians too continued to be arrested in BJP-ruled states, on charges of facilitating unlawful religious conversions.

At least 58 Muslims arrested by Uttarakhand Police in connection with Haldwani violence

8-17 February, 2024 (Haldwani, Uttarakhand): At least 58 Muslims were arrested in connection with the violence in Haldwani over the demolition of a mosque by local authorities. Locals told the civil society fact-finding mission that the real number of those arbitrarily detained or arrested was much more, at over a hundred.

A week after the violence, authorities were also reported to have begun proceedings to confiscating the properties of at least nine of the arrested Muslims. (see section on Deprivation of Life for more on this incident)

24+ Muslims arrested or detained across the country on various pretexts

Muslims across the country continued to be arbitrarily detained or arrested on various other pretexts. Reported instances included:

6 February, 2024 (Baghpat, UP): Three Muslim men were arrested for social media posts criticising a court ruling that had favoured Hindus in a decades-long land dispute with Muslims over the site of a Sufi tomb. The men were booked for outraging religious feelings, and promoting enmity between different groups.
24 February, 2024 (Rewa, Madhya Pradesh): Three Muslims, including a woman, were arrested after police raided their house over allegations of storing beef.
15 March, 2024 (Lucknow, UP): Two Muslim women, including the national spokesperson for the opposition Samajwadi Party, were kept under house arrest the day the central government announced the rules for implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
1-15 April, 2024 (Baramulla, J&K): At least 15 Kashmiri Muslim men were arrested under preventive detention provisions of the J&K Public Safety Act (PSA), in three separate batches. Police statements issued after each of the arrests claimed that those arrested had not ‘mend(ed) their anti-social and anti-national activities.’
27 April, 2024 (Bikaner, Rajasthan): Usman Ghani, a former BJP Minority Wing leader who had been expelled from the party following his remarks criticising an election speech in which Prime Minister Modi had referred to Muslims as ‘infiltrators’, was accused of breaching the peace and placed under preventive arrest.

27 Muslims arrested by National Investigation Agency for 2023 Ram Navami violence in West Bengal

27 February, 2024 (Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal): 27 Muslims were arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), India’s premier anti-terror agency, for ‘conspiring and carrying out a communal attack’ during the Hindu Ram Navami festival in West Bengal last year. The arrests were made in two batches, first on 27 February (16 arrested) and another on 19 March (11 arrested).

Anti-Muslim violence was reported in at least seven states during Ram Navami festivities last year, including West Bengal. In our 2023 Overview, we had highlighted how each of these episodes was marked by armed Hindu extremists marching through Muslim-concentration localities and engaging in widespread and large-scale destruction of Muslim-owned residences, buildings, and religious buildings.

A Human Rights Watch report had detailed how authorities, particularly in BJP-ruled states, unfairly targeted Muslims for collective punishment after the violence. Investigative journalists revealed how much of the violence was planned by Hindu extremists on social media. Another civil society report highlighted how the same pattern – of Hindu extremists engaging in large-scale violence during religious festivals – was also witnessed in 2022.

And yet, as the arrests in West Bengal show, authorities have almost exclusively targeted Muslim youth and community leaders in post-violence crackdowns, detaining and prosecuting them disproportionately. Muslims have thus continued to suffer ‘double jeopardy’, first targeted by violence and then by the law.

At least 19 Christians arrested under anti-conversion laws

During the period under review, there were reports of at least 19 Christians being arrested under anti-conversion laws, including 18 in Uttar Pradesh and one in Gujarat, both BJP-governed states.

7 February, 2024 (Barabanki, UP): At least 10 Christians, including a pastor, were arrested for being part of a ‘conversion ring’, after they reportedly organised a church service. The arrested men were charged under Uttar Pradesh’s anti-conversion law. The arrests were reportedly made following complaints from local Hindu extremist groups. (video)
8 February, 2024 (Azamgarh, UP): At least one pastor was arrested after local police raided a house hosting a Christian prayer meet. The pastor was accused of facilitating unlawful conversions and charged under UP’s anti-conversion law. (video)
11 February, 2024 (Bahraich, UP): Four Christians were arrested on allegations of facilitating unlawful religious conversions.
24 February, 2024 (Bareilly, UP): A Christian pastor was arrested on allegations of facilitating unlawful religious conversions. The arrest was reportedly made upon the complaint of a local Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader.
26 February, 2024 (Bharuch, Gujarat): The organiser of a Christian communal gathering was arrested after the meeting was disrupted by suspected VHP members, who alleged that unlawful religious conversions were taking place. The Christians had reportedly gathered to discuss plans for Easter celebrations.
31 March, 2024 (Kanpur, UP): Two Christians were arrested for allegedly luring and transporting people to a mass conversion ceremony. The police were reportedly acting upon complaints made by the local Bajrang Dal unit.

India’s provincial-level anti-conversion laws – now in place in 12 states – have recently been increasingly weaponised against Christian faith leaders as well as Muslim men accused of being in inter-religious relationships with Hindu women. In Uttar Pradesh, recently-released data revealed that over 855 arrests have been made since 2020, mostly against Muslims. In 2023, mass arrests of Christians too were reported from Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh, among other states.

Kashmiri journalist Asif Sultan re-arrested yet again by J&K Police

29 February, 2024 (Srinagar, J&K): Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan was re-arrested yet again, merely two days after his release from jail following the J&K High Court’s ruling quashing proceedings that had been initiated against him under the J&K Public Safety Act (PSA). Sultan’s latest arrest is under the anti-terror Unlawful (Activities) Prevention Act, over an incident of rioting at the jail where he was lodged. Sultan was initially arrested under the UAPA in August 2018, shortly after he published a story on the killing of Burhan Wani, a popular militant, by security forces. In April 2022, after a court granted bail, Sultan had been re-arrested under the PSA, which allows for preventive detention for up to two years without trial. In December 2023, the J&K High Court had ordered his release after quashing the PSA proceedings against him.

Mufti Salman Azhari arrested thrice by Gujarat Police

5-8 February, 2024 (Mumbai & Gujarat): Mufti Salman Azhari, a popular Islamic scholar, was arrested on three separate occasions by Gujarat Police.

Azhari was first arrested on 5 February in Mumbai, in connection with a ‘hate speech’ he had allegedly delivered in Junagadh (Gujarat) the previous week. He was arrested again on 8 February in connection with another ‘provocative’ speech he had delivered on the same day. After he secured bail, he was re-arrested under Gujarat’s Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act (PASA), which provides for the preventive detention of ‘dangerous persons’ (among others) for up to a year without trial. At the time of writing, Azhar was still in custody.

Dalit man arrested for lodging protest demanding road

22 March, 2024 (Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala): A 46-year-old Dalit man was arrested after he staged a public protest demanding a motorable road in his neighbourhood. The man was held in custody for three days before being released on jail.

During the period under review, police forces in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh injured at least 15 Muslims in allegedly staged ‘half-encounter’ shootings. Others reported to have been subject to custodial torture and ill-treatment by police included a Sikh farmer-protester in Punjab and several Muslims who were offering public prayers in New Delhi.

At least 15 Muslims shot at and injured by UP Police in ‘half-encounters’

During the period under review, police forces in Uttar Pradesh shot at and injured at least 15 alleged ‘cattle smugglers’, in 12 separate instances across the state. The victims in each case were Muslims who sustained bullet injuries to the leg before being ‘apprehended’ by police officials in the presence of media.

It is widely alleged that many, if not most, such shootings are staged by police, usually against individuals already in their custody. Since 2017, when the BJP’s Yogi Adityanath assumed charge as the state’s Chief Minister, UP Police has shot and killed over 190 individuals – disproportionately Muslims – in such alleged staged ‘encounters’, as part of his ‘thok do’ (knock down) policy, purportedly to curb crime. By April 2023, they were also reported to have injured 5,046 individuals in ‘half-encounter’ shootings not resulting in death.

Cases reported during the period under review included:

1 February, 2024 (Mirzapur, UP): An alleged ‘cattle smuggler’ was shot at and injured by police forces.
4 February, 2024 (Kushinagar, UP): An alleged ‘cattle smuggler’ was shot at and injured by police forces.
12 February, 2024 (Ghaziabad, UP): An alleged ‘cattle smuggler’ was shot at and injured by police forces.
12 February, 2024 (Jaunpur, UP): An alleged ‘cattle smuggler’ was shot at and injured by police forces.
15 February, 2024 (Shamli, UP): Two alleged ‘cattle smugglers’ were shot at and injured by police forces.
21 February, 2024 (Ghazipur, UP): An alleged ‘cattle smuggler’ was shot at and injured by police forces.
25 February, 2024 (Muzaffarnagar, UP): At alleged ‘cattle smuggler’ was shot at and injured by police forces.
2 March, 2024 (Mathura, UP): An alleged ‘cattle smuggler’ was shot at and injured by police forces.
2 March, 2024 (Muzaffarnagar, UP): Three alleged ‘cattle smugglers’ were shot at and injured by police forces.
3 March, 2024 (Auraiya, UP): An alleged ‘cattle smuggler’ was shot at and injured by police forces.
7 March, 2024 (Siddharthnagar, UP): An alleged ‘cattle smuggler’ was shot at and injured by police forces.
8 March, 2024 (Muzaffarnagar, UP): An alleged ‘cattle smuggler’ was shot at and injured by police forces.

2 other instances of religious minorities being subject to custodial torture (1 Sikh, 1 Muslim)

During the period under review, there were reported instances of at least 13 more Muslims, including a 12-year-old boy, being subject to torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment at the hands of police and other state officials.

24 February, 2024 (Punjab-Haryana border): Amid protests led by farmer unions in Punjab, a Sikh man was reportedly ‘picked up’ by police forces from neighbouring Haryana and assaulted. The victim alleged that he was put in a gunny bag and beaten with sticks and rods, leading to multiple fractures and other severe injuries.

8 March, 2024 (New Delhi): In a video that went viral on social media, a Delhi Police official was seen repeatedly kicking Muslim worshippers who were offering public prayers by the side of a road near the local mosque. The policeman was suspended from service, and a departmental inquiry initiated against him.

Separately, there were at least three reported instances of alleged custodial torture by police personnel resulting in death. (See section on Deprivation of Life)

During the period under review, Muslims and Christians across the country continued to face violence from Hindu extremists on various pretexts. Muslims continued to be targeted by cow ‘vigilantes’ and for being in inter-faith relationships with Hindu women. Christians, including Dalits, continued to be targeted over accusations of religious conversion.

37+ Muslims, 24+ Christians (including 20 Dalits) and an Adivasi injured in violent assaults by Hindu extremists across India

During the period under review, religious minority Muslims and Christians continued to face violent attacks by Hindu extremists, including many with close links to the ruling BJP, and often in collusion with police forces. Attacks against Muslims continued to be fuelled by cow protection laws that are now in place in 20 of India’s states, and attacks against Christians continued to be fuelled by anti-conversion laws now active in 11 states.

4 February, 2024 (Palwal, Haryana): A Muslim youth was assaulted by Hindu extremists who accused him of transporting cattle.
9 February, 2024 (Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka): A Muslim youth was assaulted by Hindu extremists who accused him of engaging in ‘love jihad’ and luring a minor Hindu girl. 9 members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) were arrested in connection with the assault.
10 February, 2024 (Betul, Madhya Pradesh): An Adivasi youth was assaulted by a local coordinator of the Bajrang Dal. The accused was arrested and booked under provisions of the Scheduled Caste & Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
11 February, 2024 (Parbhani, Maharashtra): In separate incidents, two Muslim youth were assaulted by Hindu extremists who goaded them to chant Hindu religious slogans.
13 February, 2024 (Durg, Chhattisgarh): A Christian pastor was assaulted, reportedly by members of the Bajrang Dal, who barged into his house and accused him of facilitating unlawful religious conversions.
15 February, 2024 (Ranga Reddy, Telangana): At least 20 Dalit Christians were reportedly injured, including three seriously, after suspected Bajrang Dal members attacked a church over a local dispute.
17 February, 2024 (Mumbra, Maharashtra): A Muslim auto rickshaw driver was assaulted by Hindu extremists and forced to chant Hindu religious slogans.
18 February, 2024 (Bilaspur, Maharashtra): Around a dozen men, mostly Muslims, were assaulted by Hindu extremists who accused them of involvement in cattle smuggling. The assailants were reportedly members of the Bajrang Dal.
18 February, 2024 (Faridabad, Haryana): Three men, including two Muslims, were assaulted by Hindu extremists who accused them of transporting cattle. The assailants were reportedly members of the Gau Raksha Dal.
24 February, 2024 (New Delhi): Around five men were assaulted by Hindu extremists who accused them of transporting beef in a private car. The assailants were reportedly members of the Gau Raksha Dal.
29 February, 2024 (Khorda, Odisha): Two Muslim men were tied up and assaulted by Hindu extremists who accused them of transporting cattle.
3 March, 2024 (Jamui, Bihar): Three Christian men were assaulted by Hindu extremists and forced to chant Hindu religious slogans. The assailants were reportedly members of the VHP.
7 March, 2024 (Mathura, UP): A Muslim truck driver was assaulted by Hindu extremists who accused him of transporting cattle.
16 March, 2024 (Ahmedabad, Gujarat): At least five international students – including four Muslims and one Christian – at a government university were injured after being assaulted by fellow students. The assailants were reportedly incensed by the victims’ offering Islamic prayers in the hostel allotted for international students. Five men were arrested in connection with the incident.
24 March, 2024 (Jaina, Maharashtra): A Muslim imam was assaulted and tonsured by Hindu extremists who goaded him to chant Hindu religiou slogans. While the police registered a case in connection with the incident, no arrests were reported.
24 March, 2024 (Bhadrak, Odisha): Three Muslim labourers were West Bengal were assaulted by a Hindu mob that accused them of being ‘Bangladeshis’ and ‘inflitrators’. A local BJP leader who was reported to have led the mob was subsequently arrested.
27 March, 2024 (Sambalpur, Odisha): Three Muslim men were injured in a bomb blast near a mosque. News reports suggested that the bomb was kept in a box that allegedly bore the name of a social media handle, apparently left as a calling card, that contained slogans in support of the BJP.
27 March, 2024 (Alwar, Rajasthan): Around four men were reportedly assaulted by Hindu extremists who accused them of smuggling cattle. No arrests were reported.

31 March, 2024 (Ahmedabad, Gujarat): A 12-year-old Muslim boy was assaulted with sticks by Hindu extremists as he was walking home after prayers.

5 April, 2024 (Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh): Members of the Bajrang Dal assaulted an inter-faith couple in the premises of the Bhopal District Court, where they had arrived for formalities related to their marriage. The chief of the BD’s state unit accused the couple of engaging in ‘love jihad’, and claimed that they were ‘handed over’ to the local police station.
9 April, 2024 (Pune, Maharashtra): A 19-year-old Muslim student at the Savitribai Phule Pune University was assaulted on campus by Hindu extremists who accused him of engaging in ‘love jihad’.
12 April, 2024 (Kota, Rajasthan): A Muslim trader was assaulted and tonsured by suspected Hindu extremists while travelling on a train from Mumbai to Bulandshahr. No arrests have been reported so far.

The perpetrators of such anti-minority violence at the local level are often accommodated and rewarded by the BJP. For example, in January, a local Hindu nationalist leader in Bulandshahr accused of participating in violence in 2018, when a police officer was killed by a Hindu mob, was appointed a zonal president of the BJP.

Harassment and mob violence against Muslims during Hindu religious festivals

The pattern of Hindu religious festivals providing the pretext for Hindu extremists to harass and engage in violence against Muslims continued. Instances reported during the period under review included:

Basant Panchami (14 February, 2024): The Basant Panchami festival was marked by communal violence in multiple areas in Bihar, resulting in at least 40 injuries. Each instance of violence was spurred by Hindu religious processionists chanting provocative slogans outside mosques or at Muslim-concentration localities. Darbhanga district witnessed two separate outbreaks of violence – following the first outbreak, the police registered multiple First Information Reports (FIRs) naming a total of 170 individuals, both Hindus and Muslims. In the second episode, the police booked 61 individuals, all Muslims. Residents in both areas also alleged that police subsequently barged into Muslim households and looted belongings.

Holi (25 March, 2024): In Bijnor (Uttar Pradesh), a group of Hindu Holi revellers were seen harassing and forcibly spraying colour on a Muslim family as they were travelling on a bike. One person was reportedly arrested in connection with the incident. In Ahmedabad (Gujarat), a Muslim auto-rickshaw driver was assaulted by a group of Hindu extremists, who also torched his vehicle. In Godda (Jharkhand), a Muslim journalist was accosted while on his way a funeral and assaulted by Hindu extremists.

Ram Navami (17 April, 2024): At least 20 persons were injured in communal clashes in Murshidabad (West Bengal) that reportedly erupted after ‘miscreants’ threw stones at a Hindu procession. The BJP and the opposition Trinamool Congress (which runs the government in West Bengal) blamed each other for the violence as a means to polarise voters ahead of elections.

2 Christians assaulted by Sikh extremists in Punjab

18 April (Amritsar, Punjab): A Christian pastor and his brother were reportedly attacked with swords and knives by a group of Nihang Sikhs – a warrior order within the Sikh community – that accused them of facilitating unlawful religious conversions. Both victims had to be hospitalised and undergo surgery. At the time of writing, a police complaint was yet to be filed in connection with the incident.

Further revelations regarding sexual violence against Kuki-Zo women in May 2023

A chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) shed new light into the public parading and sexual assault of two Kuki women by a Meitei mob in Manipur’s Thoubal district in May last year. A video of the incident had sparked nationwide outrage.

According to the CBI’s investigation, the two victims, along with two other male victims, had initially managed to reach safety inside a police vehicle. However, the policemen fled the scene as a Meitei mob overran the vehicle and pulled the victims out.

The chargesheet was filed against six men and a juvenile, all of whom are in custody. A senior police officer quoted in a news report said that departmental action had been initiated against the policemen who had failed to protect the women.

The violence that began in Manipur between the predominantly-Hindu Meitei community and the predominantly-Christian Kuki-Zo tribe was marked by widespread reports of sexual violence and other abuses against women, including gang rape, mostly against those from the Kuki-Zo communities.

Several abuses during the initial phase of the violence reportedly involved Meitei men being instigated by Meitei women to rape and kill Kuki women, as police stood by without intervening. In September 2023, the Manipur State Commission for Women revealed that it had registered 59 cases of sexual crimes against women. The real scale of sexual violence is believed to be much higher, with Kuki women in particular reportedly living in fear of retaliation and further violence if they lodge official complaints.

Discrimination against hijab-wearing Muslim girls at educational institutions

Reported instances of discrimination at state-run institutions:

17 February 2024 (Jodhpur, Rajasthan): Hijab-wearing Muslim girls at a government high school were reportedly heckled and denied entry by school authorities for allegedly violating the school’s dress code. The students alleged that a teacher also threatened to deduct their marks if they refused to remove their hijabs. School authorities later claimed that the issue had been resolved, and that the teacher had apologised.

Three weeks before the incident, a newly-elected BJP MLA had raised objection to the wearing of hijab by Muslim girls in government-run schools.

Reported instances of discrimination at educational institutions run by non-state actors:

9 March, 2024 (Hassan, Karnataka): Hindu students at a private college donned saffron shawls in class, apparently in protest against a hijab-clad Muslim classmate. School authorities dismissed the students’ allegations and claimed that the Muslim student was only wearing temporary protective clothing due to an ear infection.

A similar protest at a government-aided college last year had culminated in the Karnataka government, then under the control of BJP, imposing a ban on hijab and other religious attire at government-funded schools and colleges.

While the subsequently-elected Congress-led government had promised to overturn the ban, the Chief Minister (CM) had, in December 2023, clarified that his government was yet to officially lift the ban. A year has passed since an INC-led government assumed power in the state.

The ban on hijab had reportedly led to over 1000 Muslim girls and women in Karnataka dropping out of education, according to a civil society estimate.

With the 2024 General Election commencing in April, India witnessed escalated religious polarisation and Hindu mobilisation, led by the BJP and its allied groups like the VHP and the Bajrang Dal. This has continued to be perpetuated by influential political and religious figures advocating religious hatred constituting incitement to discrimination, hostility, and violence against religious minorities, in both online and physical spaces. (For detailed analysis of trends and patterns in the incidence and forms of hate speech in recent months, see our Hate Speech Monitor.)

(Note: Our classification of ‘top’ and ‘intermediate’ level hate speech is based on the framework laid out in the UN’s Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech. ‘Top’ level hate speech refers to advocacy of discriminatory hatred constituting incitement to hostility, discrimination, or violence, and incitement to genocide, all of which are prohibited under international law. ‘Intermediate’ level hate speech refers to speech that may be prohibited by States to protect the rights or reputations of others, or for the protection of national security or of public order, or of public health or morals.)

During the period under review, we documented 18 instances of elected BJP leaders – Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and Members of Parliament (MPs) – engaging in what appeared to be top-level incitement to hostility, discrimination, or violence. Of these, 4 were reported after India’s Model Code of Conduct (MCC) – a set of minimum standards of conduct during election campaigning and polling that all political parties have agreed to abide by, which includes, inter alia, prohibitions on appealing to communal sentiments while seeking votes – came into effect.

Table: Speeches by elected BJP leaders that appeared to meet the threshold for ‘top-level’ incitement

Speaker	Details
Narendra Modi Prime Minister of India	At an election rally in in Banswara (Rajasthan), PM Modi was reported saying that when the opposition Congress party was in power, “they said Muslims have the first right over the country’s resources.” If it returns to power, the party “will gather all your wealth and distribute it among those who have more children,” he said as the crowd applauded. “They will distribute it among infiltrators,” he continued, saying, “Do you think your hard-earned money should be given to infiltrators?” Modi later repeated this message – that the Congress Party would ‘snatch’ Hindus’ wealth and redistribute it to Muslims – on multiple occasions, albeit without direct mentions of Muslims, including at a rally in Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh). Variations of this line of attack were subsequently echoed by several senior BJP leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, and BJP National President J.P. Nadda. The BJP’s official Instagram account repeated Modi’s message in an animated video.
Yogi Adityanath Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh	At an election rally in Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh), state Chief Minister Adityanath was reported saying: "These shameless people promise to provide the right to eat 'gaumaans' (cow's meat), whereas our scriptures call the cow mother. They wish to give cows into the hands of butchers. Will India ever accept this?” The chief minister claimed they wanted to give minorities the liberty to eat the food of their choice, “meaning they are talking about allowing cow slaughter.”

Speaker

Details

Narendra Modi
Prime Minister of India

At an election rally in in Banswara (Rajasthan), PM Modi was reported saying that when the opposition Congress party was in power, “they said Muslims have the first right over the country’s resources.” If it returns to power, the party “will gather all your wealth and distribute it among those who have more children,” he said as the crowd applauded. “They will distribute it among infiltrators,” he continued, saying, “Do you think your hard-earned money should be given to infiltrators?” Modi later repeated this message – that the Congress Party would ‘snatch’ Hindus’ wealth and redistribute it to Muslims – on multiple occasions, albeit without direct mentions of Muslims, including at a rally in Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh). Variations of this line of attack were subsequently echoed by several senior BJP leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, and BJP National President J.P. Nadda. The BJP’s official Instagram account repeated Modi’s message in an animated video.

Yogi Adityanath
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh

At an election rally in Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh), state Chief Minister Adityanath was reported saying: "These shameless people promise to provide the right to eat 'gaumaans' (cow's meat), whereas our scriptures call the cow mother. They wish to give cows into the hands of butchers. Will India ever accept this?” The chief minister claimed they wanted to give minorities the liberty to eat the food of their choice, “meaning they are talking about allowing cow slaughter.”

A recurring figure was BJP MLA T. Raja Singh, who was reported making at least 7 ‘top-level’ speeches – and was recently re-elected from his assembly constituency after being briefly suspended from the BJP for hate speech – during the period under review, despite a news report revealing that there are 104 active First Information Reports (FIRs) registered against him at police station across the country.

Table: Speeches by BJP MLA T. Raja Singh that appeared to meet the threshold for ‘top-level’ incitement

Date and location	Details
2/02/2024 – Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan	Speech peddling various anti-Muslim conspiracy theories, and advocating for the forced takeover of multiple mosques across India.
25/02/2024 – Thane, Maharashtra	Speech using various anti-Muslim slurs, conspiracy theories, and promotion of violence against Muslims by cow vigilantes.
25/02/2024 – Jalgaon, Maharashtra	Speech peddling various anti-Muslim conspiracy theories, and advocating for the forced takeover of multiple mosques across India.
03/03/2024 – Mandal, Telangana	Speech using various anti-Muslim slurs, conspiracy theories, and glorification of violence against Muslims.
04/03/2024 – Vijayapura, Telangana	Speech peddling various anti-Muslim conspiracy theories, and advocating for “war against love jihad and religious conversions.”
17/04/2024 – Hyderabad, Telangana	Speech peddling various anti-Muslim conspiracy theories, and advocates for the forced takeover of 40000 mosques, and the turning of India into a Hindu Rashtra (nation).
17/04/2024 – Hyderabad, Telangana	Speech peddling various anti-Muslim conspiracy theories, and advocating for the forced takeover of multiple mosques across India.

Another BJP MLA, Nitesh Rane, was reported making at least 9 ‘top-level’ speeches. In January (before the period under review), Rane had called for violence against Muslims on at least three separate occasions – including at public events in Solapur, and during a press conference held at the Vasai Virar Police Commissionerate. Rane’s speeches in January were reported to have contributed to the eruption of anti-Muslim violence in the area. ‘Top-level’ speeches made by Rane since February include:

Table: Speeches by BJP MLA Nitesh Rane that appeared to meet the threshold for ‘top-level’ incitement

Date and location	Details
04/02/2024 – Mumbai, Maharashtra	Speech peddling various anti-Muslim conspiracy theories, and glorification of anti-Muslim violence.
22/02/2024 – Mumbai, Maharashtra	Speech using various anti-Muslim slurs and conspiracy theories, and advocating for violence against Muslims.
10/02/2024 – Mumbai, Maharashtra	Speech peddling various anti-Muslim conspiracy theories, and advocating for the forced takeover of multiple mosques across India.
11/02/2024 – Pune, Maharashtra	Speech using various anti-Muslim slurs, conspiracy theories, and glorification of violence against Muslims.
11/02/2024 – Nashik, Maharashtra	Speech peddling various anti-Muslim conspiracy theories, and advocating for “war against love jihad and religious conversions.”
11/02/2024 – Mumbai, Maharashtra	Speech peddling various anti-Muslim conspiracy theories, and advocates for the forced takeover of 40000 mosques, and the turning of India into a Hindu Rashtra (nation).
18/02/2024 – Akola, Maharashtra	Speech peddling various anti-Muslim conspiracy theories, and advocates for the boycott of Muslim vendors.
27/02/2024 – Thane, Maharashtra	Speech delivered in the presence of police personnel, peddling anti-Muslim conspiracy theories and threatening violence against Muslim refugees and migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh.
03/03/2024 – Mumbai, Maharashtra	Speech peddling various anti-Muslim conspiracy theories, and advocating for violence against Muslim government employees and Rohingya refugees.

The speeches listed above were in addition to 130 instances of top-level or intermediate-level incitement by other senior political and religious leaders at physical settings during the period under review, that we documented using Hindutva Watch data. Of these, 123 (95 per cent) were reported from states and territories where BJP governments are in power and in control of law & order. (See interactive map above)

During the period under review, BJP-governed Uttarakhand repealed religious personal laws and imposed a Uniform Civil Code, a move the BJP has promised to replicate across the country after the ongoing General Election. After the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple at the site of the illegally destroyed Babri mosque in Ayodhya in January 2024, Hindu nationalists doubled down their efforts to ‘reclaim’ other historical mosques elsewhere. BJP-led governments continued to abuse provincial anti-conversion laws to crack down on Christians, and also targeted minority religious activities and structures in other ways.

Uttarakhand repeals religious family laws and enacts Uniform Civil Code; other states reportedly following suit

BJP-governed Uttarakhand became the first state in independent India to repeal all religion-based family laws and enact a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), amid loud chants of Hindu religious slogans in the provincial legislative assembly.

Different religious communities in India are governed by different family and personal laws that address matters of marriage, divorce, and inheritance, among other issues. While India’s Constitution contains a non-enforceable directive to the State to implement a UCC across the country, such a move has so far not been pursued due to objections from religious minorities that it would infringe on their religious practices. Implementing a UCC across India has been a key poll plank of the BJP, and a key ideological goal of its parent organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Muslim groups condemned the Uttarakhand UCC as ‘discriminatory’ and an ‘attempt to curtail religious freedom’, pointing out that indigenous Scheduled Tribe communities – who have also objected to a UCC – were kept out of the ambit of the Code.

While the BJP has portrayed the Uttarakhand UCC as championing women’s rights, it has also faced criticism from women’s rights groups. Particularly concerning has been the Code’s requirement of mandatory registration of ‘live-in relationships’, defined as a relationship in the ‘nature of marriage’ between a man and a woman cohabiting in a shared household. Failure to register such a relationship has been criminalised and will be punishable by a jail term of up to three years. Analysts have noted that the Uttarakhand UCC could be an experiment to test the waters ahead of a national-level UCC, which was promised by the BJP in its official manifesto ahead of the ongoing General Election. Concurrently, other BJP-governed states like Gujarat and Assam are reportedly moving to enact their own provincial-level UCCs. In March, Assam’s Cabinet repealed the state’s Muslim Marriages Act.

Continuing arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement of anti-conversion laws against Christians and Muslims

During the period under review, there were reports of at least 19 Christians being arrested under anti-conversion laws across two BJP-ruled states – Uttar Pradesh (18) and Gujarat (1). (See section on Arrests and Detentions)

UP and Gujarat are two of eight BJP-governed states that have, since 2017, introduced new laws – or added more stringent provisions to existing laws – to regulate religious conversions out of Hinduism. (The anti-conversion law introduced in Karnataka, where the BJP was voted out of power in May 2023, is reportedly set to be repealed.) These new laws, like other pre-existing laws elsewhere in country, proscribe religious conversions by means of force, coercion, fraud, and other prohibited means. Additionally, they have also specifically sought to leverage and fuel the ‘love jihad’ conspiracy theory, by introducing restrictive conditions on inter-faith marriages.

Meanwhile, ‘ghar wapsi’ (homecoming) ceremonies organised by Hindu groups to ‘re-convert’ Muslims and Christians to Hinduism continued unabated. At one such reported event in Muzaffarnagar, UP, in late-September, a Hindu leader had revealed that over 1100 Muslims had been ‘re-converted’ to Hinduism over the past 18 months. Such ‘re-conversions’ are specifically exempt from the newly-enacted anti-conversion laws, including in UP. India’s Supreme Court is yet to hold substantive hearings on the constitutional validity of the newly-enacted anti-conversion laws, all of which have been challenged on various grounds, including for infringements of the rights to privacy and freedom of religion.

State-supported moves afoot to replace religious character of historical mosques in Varanasi and Mathura

On 31 January, a district court in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) permitted Hindu litigants to offer prayers inside the 17^th century Gyanvapi Mosque, the site of a historical dispute between Hindu nationalists and Muslims. Within a month, the UP state government appointed the judge, who retired the day after he delivered the verdict, as the Lokpal (ombudsman) of a government university.

The order was issued after the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), a government agency responsible for conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments, concluded that a Hindu temple had previously stood at the site. Hours after the order was pronounced, a group of Hindus reportedly led by the District Magistrate (DM) of Varanasi, a senior government bureaucrat, offered prayers inside the mosque complex.

Separately in December, the Allahabad High Court, which has jurisdiction over Uttar Pradesh, approved a similar survey of the Shahi Idgah mosque in Mathura, another site that Hindu nationalists have sought to ‘reclaim’.

These moves to ‘reclaim’ historical mosques have proceeded despite the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which prohibits the changing of the character of any place of worship as it existed on the day of India’s independence in 1947. The Supreme Court’s verdict in 2019 handing over the disputed site of the illegally destroyed Babri mosque in Ayodhya to Hindus and directing the construction of a temple at the site has given a fillip to such efforts. The construction of the temple, which was consecrated by Prime Minister Modi in January 2024, has been portrayed by the BJP as a key achievement during the ongoing General Election.

Other instances of religious minority places of worship and other structures being targeted by state actors

Other reported instances of state actors targeting the places of worship and other religious buildings of minorities during the period under review included:

1 February, 2024 (Kolhapur, Maharashtra): The Alif Anjuman madrassa (seminary) was demolished by municipal authorities following protests from Hindu nationalist organisations. The demolition was carried out despite legal proceedings being ongoing – the madrassa authorities’ appeal was scheduled to be heard by the state High Court the following day.
8 February, 2024: (Haldwani, Uttarakhand): A mosque and adjacent seminary were demolished by district authorities, purportedly as part of an anti-encroachment drive. Authorities shot dead six Muslims during protests against the incident, and arrested dozens. (See Section on Deprivation of Life for more on this incident)

21 February, 2024 (Raebareli, UP): The Mustafa Syed Baba Shrine and an adjacent communal prayer space were demolished by district authorities, reportedly without prior notice.

12 March, 2024 (Kutch, Gujarat): At least three Muslim shrines were summarily demolished by local authorities, who alleged that they were built on government land.

All of these actions were reported from BJP-governed states.

Other state restrictions on religious activity

Other instances of state-imposed restrictions on religious activity included:

4 February, 2024 (Gonda, UP): A Muslim bookseller was reportedly arrested by the Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) for ‘selling religious books’. While a video of the man being escorted by men in plain clothes went viral on social media, police denied carrying out the arrest.
5 April, 2024 (Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir): Authorities in Kashmir banned prayers at the historic Jama Masjid on the last Friday of Ramadan, one of the most auspicious days of the Islamic calendar. Records compiled by mosque authorities revealed that the mosque has been shut down for Friday prayers on over 110 occasions since 2019.

Instances of minority religious structures and prayer services being targeted by non-state actors

Instances of minority religious structures and prayer services being targeted by Hindu extremists included:

15 February, 2024 (Ranga Reddy, Telangana): At least 11 people were reportedly injured, including three seriously, after suspected Bajrang Dal members attacked a church over a local dispute.

28 February, 2024 (Ramanagara, Karnataka): A Christian prayer hall was burned down by suspected Hindu extremists. While a case has been registered by local police, no arrests were reported.

4 March, 2024 (Thane, Maharashtra): A group of Hindu extremists chanted Hindu religious slogans at the Haji Malang Darhah, a historical Muslim shrine.

5 March, 2024 (Surat, Gujarat): During a religious procession, Hindu extremists projected Hindu religious slogans on to the walls of a mosque using laser lights.

5 March, 2024 (Durg, Chhattisgarh): Hindu extremists pelted stones at a church that they alleged was conducting unlawful religious conversions. The assailants were reportedly members of the Bajrang Dal.

24 March, 2024 (Uttar Pradesh): Ahead of the Hindu festival of Holi, mosque authorities in Aligarh and Sambhal district reportedly allowed police to cover at least nine mosque structures with tarpaulin sheets, to prevent them from being defaced by Hindu extremists.

26 March, 2024 (Hyderabad, Telangana): Communal violence broke out in Hyderabad’s Chengicherla village after Hindu extremists played provocative and Islamophobic music outside a mosque during Friday prayers. Around five people are reported to have been injured in the altercation that followed. BJP MLA T. Raja Singh was briefly placed under house arrest by police to prevent him from reaching the area and inflaming tensions further. A fact-finding report by the Human Rights Forum suggested that the Hindu extremists had belonged to the RSS, and that they had used loudspeakers without obtaining prior permission from the police.

17 April, 2024 (Hyderabad, Telangana): Kompella Madhavi Latha, the BJP’s candidate from the Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency in the ongoing General Election, was captured on video gesturing to shoot an arrow in the direction of a nearby mosque. The incident reportedly occurred at an election rally organised by BJP MLA T. Raja Singh (See section on Advocacy of Religious Hatred for more on SIngh). Latha later apologised in a social media post, alleging that the video was incomplete and circulated to ‘create negativity’.

The trends and violations detailed in previous sections also continued to have discriminatory impacts on minorities’ access to economic, social, and cultural rights, including livelihoods and education.

Continuing arbitrary demolitions of Muslim homes and livelihoods as collective punishment

During the period under review, authorities in BJP-governed states continued the nationwide trend of Muslims being collectively punished through arbitrary demolitions of their property, as well as arbitrary attachment of their property. Cases reported included:

8-17 February, 2024 (Haldwani, Uttarakhand): In February, a week after the violence over the demolition of a mosque in Haldwani that resulted in the killing of six Muslims (see section on Arbitrary Deprivation of Life), authorities were reported to have begun proceedings to confiscating the properties of at least nine Muslims out of 58 arrested.

20 February, 2024 (Alwar, Rajasthan): At least 12 houses belonging to Muslims were arbitrarily demolished by authorities in BJP-governed Rajasthan, who alleged that the owners of the houses had openly sold beef. The authorities also destroyed crop growing on around 44 acres of land belonging to the victims.

Other instances of summary evictions and demolitions that disproportionately impacted Muslims included:

6 February, 2024 (Mumbai, Maharashtra): Around 150 tenements in the Panchsheel Nagar area, a slum predominantly occupied by Muslims, Dalits and other marginalised groups, were demolished by the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC), allegedly without prior notice.

28 February, 2024 (North-East District, Delhi): Several buildings in the Muslim-concentration Khajoori Khas town were summarily demolished by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), allegedly without prior notice. Among those whose residences were destroyed was Wakeel Hassan, a rat-hole miner who had risen to prominence in November, 2023, after he led an operation to rescue 41 trapped miners from a caved-in tunnel in Uttarakhand. Delhi’s Lieutenant-General has promised to compensate Hassan’s family, according to a BJP MP quoted in a news report.

10 March, 2024 (Lucknow, UP): Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) authorities resumed the demolition of residences and commercial establishments in the Muslim-concentration Akbar Nagar area, shortly after the expiry of a Supreme Court stay on the operation. Civil society activists have alleged that the demolitions – which are being done to make way for the construction of a riverfront – could impact around 40,000 residents of the area, most of whom are Muslims.

In a report published in February, Amnesty International investigated similar punitive demolitions of 128 properties belong to Muslims that had been carried out In Assam, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi between April and June 2022, all in Muslim-concentration localities. The report found that at least 617 people, including men, women, and children, were adversely impacted by these demolitions, being either rendered homeless or deprived of their sole livelihood. The investigation further concluded that there was an ‘absolute failure of the state authorities to ensure that the survivors of these demolitions were afforded due process protections, including an opportunity for genuine consultation, adequate and reasonable notice, and provision of legal remedies and access to legal aid.’

Other instances of Muslim livelihoods being selectively targeted by state actors

21 February, 2024 (Kota, Rajasthan): Three Muslim teachers at a government school in Kota were arbitrarily suspended by the district Education Department, after a group of Hindu extremist groups alleged that they were involved in ‘Islamic jihadist activities’, ‘religious conversion’, and ‘love jihad’. Students at the school organised mass protests in support of the suspended teachers, and refuted the allegations against them. School authorities too reportedly wrote to the Education Department denying the allegations. A student who had initially made a statement saying the teachers had engaged in unlawful conversions later claimed that he was forced to do so by unknown persons. At the time of writing, there were no reports of the teachers having been reinstated.

**Continuing state targeting of madrassas in Uttar Pradesh**

On 23 March, the Allahabad High Court, which has jurisdiction over Uttar Pradesh, struck down the UP Board of Madrasa Education Act, finding it to be in violation of the constitutional principle of secularism. The court further ordered the state government to accommodate current madrassa students within the formal schooling system.

There are around 25,000 madrassas in UP, of which around 16,500 are recognised by the UP Board of Madrassa Education. The Board is mandated to grant degrees, diplomas, certificates and other academic distinctions, in addition to conducting exams and prescribing instructional material under the madrassa system.

The Supreme Court subsequently stayed the HC’s order, noting that it would impact the education of nearly 1.7 million madrassa students. Separately, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) found over 13000 madrassas to be operating in the state, and recommended their closure.

Dalit scholar suspended by government-funded university for participating in protests

18 April, 2024 (Mumbai, Maharashtra): A Dalit PhD scholar was suspended for two years by authorities at Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), a government-funded university, for ‘repetitive misconduct and anti-national activities’. The suspended scholar, a member of the student wing of the opposition Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), had reportedly participated in anti-government protests and called upon students to attend a screening of a documentary film highlighting the complicity of BJP members in the illegal destruction of the Babri Masjid mosque in Ayodhya in 1992.

Targeting of Muslim livelihoods by non-state actors

In addition to violations addressed in previous sections, there were several reported instances of Hindu extremists directly targeting the livelihoods of Muslims. These included:

19 March, 2024 (Dharula, Uttarakhand): 91 Muslim shopkeepers were forced to shut down their shops after a local traders’ body cancelled their membership. An FIR was reportedly registered by police regarding the forced closing of the shops, and district authorities claimed that the shopkeepers would be provided security. The traders’ membership had been cancelled after two traders from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh were arrested by local police for allegedly luring minor girls.

A similar situation in Uttarkashi district last year had resulted in widespread calls for the expulsion of Muslims, and led to the forced exodus of dozens of Muslim families from the state.

February, 2024 (Gujarat): A news report revealed that at least 30 sports coaches – all Muslims – were reportedly summarily terminated by a group of five private sports companies in Gujarat. The coaches alleged that the companies jointly initiated the action after a Muslim employee at a facility owned by one of the companies was accused of workplace sexual harassment, and that none of those terminated were formally informed of the reasons for their firing.

15 February, 2024: An investigative news report revealed multiple instances of bias, discrimination and assault faced by Muslim delivery agents, cab drivers and other service providers across the country due to their religious identity. The report detailed how new advents in technology – such as QR code-facilitated digital payments, which reveal the names of vendors to payers – leaves Muslims vulnerable to attacks and discrimination. The report highlighted cases from Delhi, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Hyderabad, and Maharashtra.

Separately, in March 2024, food delivery app Zomato announced that it would launch a separate fleet of drivers to deliver ‘pure vegetarian’ food. Critics have pointed out that such moves could clearly earmark Muslim delivery agents and put them at further risk. (The fixation that some Hindu vegetarians have with ‘pure vegetarian’ food is seen by many as a reinforcement of millennia-old caste-based notions of ritual purity, by which food that comes into contact with other meat-based food, or is handled by members of ‘untouchable’ castes or those from other faiths, is considered impure.)

Concurrently, popular Hindu extremist social media influencers, like Radha Semwal Dhoni, have continued to record and publish videos of themselves harassing Muslim vendors and gig workers, garnering tens of thousands of views.

Targeting of Christian educational institutions by non-state actors

Hindu extremists continued to target minority educational institutions. Reported cases during the period under review included:

7 February, 2024 (Assam): A Hindu extremist group gave Christian schools operating in the state a 15-day ultimatum to remove all Christian symbols and imagery on their campuses. Speaking at a press conference, the president of the Kutumba Surakshya Parishad (KSP) warned ‘dire consequences’ for schools that failed to comply. After the KSP’s 15-day period ended, another Hindu extremist issued a similar diktat. No instances of violence have been reported yet.

16 April, 2024 (Mancherial, Telangana): A school run by a Christian missionary congregation was reportedly vandalised by a group of Hindu extremists, who assaulted the school staff and forced the school principal to chant Hindu religious slogans.

The attack was reportedly spurred by the school authorities’ refusal to allow entry to a group of Hindu students who had donned Hindu religious attire instead of the school’s uniform. The students had reportedly been asked to get prior permission before they could do so. Local police registered cases against both the school management, for outraging religious sentiments, and the vandals.

During the ongoing General Election, there were multiple instances of minority voters reportedly being denied the right to exercise their franchise, in addition to those still disenfranchised due to previous voter suppression measures in Assam. Additionally, in at least two constituencies, the BJP is set to secure uncontested or virtually uncontested victories. Jammu & Kashmir residents continued to be denied the right to vote in legislative assembly elections.

Hundreds of Muslims in UP, Assam, Gujarat denied the right to vote

During the ongoing General Election to the Lok Sabha, there were multiple instances of Muslims being denied the right to vote, for various reasons. Reported cases include:

Second phase of polling (26 April, 2024):

Mathura, UP: A news report revealed that dozens of Muslim voters in the Mathura parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh were unable to vote for a variety of reasons, such as missing or misspelt names in the electoral roll at the polling station, the failure of electoral authorities to distribute voter slips in Muslim-concentration areas, and other hurdles in getting voter IDs issued. None of the Hindu residents who spoke to the reporter faced any issues while casting their votes.
Karimganj, Assam: Hundreds of train passengers, most of whom were Muslim migrant workers, were unable to cast their votes in Karimganj parliamentary constituency after the trains scheduled to transport them were cancelled. Railway authorities clarified that the cancellations occurred due to a derailment.

Third phase of polling (7 May, 2024):

Sambhal, UP: Dozens of Muslim voters, including women, in the Sambhal parliamentary constituency alleged that they were assaulted, denied the right to vote, and chased away by police personnel. Among those who were reportedly denied the right to vote was Zia-ur-Rehman, the candidate of the opposition Samajwadi Party. Police authorities made counter-claims that they had caught more than 50 ‘suspicious persons’ while trying to cast ‘fake votes’
Devbhumi Dwarka, Gujarat: Around Muslim fishermen in the harbours of Gandhvi and Navadra were unable to vote after their names were deleted from the latest electoral rolls. The ECI claimed that it had followed due process while deleting the names. The fishermen’s homes had been demolished by local authorities in several targeted demolition drives since October 2022, over claims that they were ‘illegally built’ on government land.

Continuing denial of democracy in Jammu & Kashmir

The residents of the Muslim-majority territory of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), which has been without any form of popular government since June 2018, continue to be denied democracy almost completely. Despite legislative assembly elections being conducted in five states along with the ongoing parliamentary elections, such polls have not been announced for J&K. (Elections to J&K’s five parliamentary seats are being held along with other states and Union Territories.)

In December 2023, the Indian Supreme Court had ordered the Election Commission to conduct legislative assembly elections in J&K before 2024. It has so far failed to do so, citing security concerns. In 2018, after the resignation of the formerly BJP-allied state Chief Minister (CM), J&K was put under a 16-month-long period of Governor’s Rule and President Rule, under emergency provisions of the Indian Constitution. Since October 2019, after the Indian government unilaterally revoked the erstwhile state’s special constitutional protections and divided and downgraded it into two Union Territories (UTs), the administration of J&K has been under the control of a Lieutenant-Governor appointed directly by the BJP-led central government.

BJP to secure uncontested victories in at least two constituencies

The BJP is set to secure uncontested or virtually uncontested victories in at least two parliamentary constituencies, depriving hundreds of thousands of voters the ability to meaningfully exercise their franchise.

In Gujarat’s Surat constituency, the BJP’s candidate was declared to have won unopposed, after the opposition Congress Party candidate’s nomination form was rejected by electoral authorities. Eight other candidates who were scheduled to contest the Surat election independently or on behalf of smaller parties mysteriously withdrew their candidacy.

In Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, the Congress Party was locked out of the contest after its candidate withdrew his candidacy and formally joined the BJP. The BJP’s candidate is set to secure a virtually uncontested victory, being pitted only against independents and those from smaller parties.

Additionally, at least three non-BJP candidates in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar constituency – currently represented by Home Minister Amit Shah – alleged that they were under pressure to withdraw their candidacy.

Surat, Indore and Gandhinagar are all considered BJP strongholds, but had previously witnessed spirited campaigns from opposition candidates.

Continuing impacts of past voter suppression tactics against ‘illegal migrants’ in Assam

Close to 100,000 Assam residents who have been declared as ‘doubtful voters’ (D-voters) by the Election Commission of India (ECI) over past decades will continue to be denied the right to vote during the ongoing General Election. Designation as ‘doubtful voters’ – and subsequent denial of voting rights – by the ECI is one of several state-led efforts to target and penalise alleged ‘illegal migrants’ to the state.

In August 2019, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) was published in Assam, as the culmination of a separate, multi-year administrative exercise to identify ‘genuine’ Indian citizens and exclude ‘illegal migrants’. While over 33 million persons had applied for inclusion in the NRC, over 1.9 million Assam residents – around 6 percent of the state’s population – were excluded. The status of these NRC-excludees remains in legal limbo. While they were not barred from voting in post-2019 assembly elections by the ECI, it is unclear how many of them have found their names in electoral rolls during the 2024 General Election. The north-eastern state has, historically, been the site of tensions between the dominant Assamese-speaking community and minority Bengali-speakers. The rise of the BJP has resulted in the broader ‘anti-migrant’ movement in the state assuming a more overt communal character, targeting Muslims exclusively.

As referred to throughout previous sections, India’s domestic mechanisms have been largely failing to ensure accountability for ongoing and previous violations. The judicial process, from filing a complaint to securing convictions and other remedies, has continued to be skewed towards powerful Hindu nationalist interests, and against minorities. Victims and families seeking justice are routinely harassed, and often face retributive arrests themselves. India’s anti-terror laws, which reverse the burden of proof and allow for prolonged incarceration without trial, have further convoluted the prospects for justice. And even when India’s courts, including the Supreme Court, have attempted to step in, a sense of permissiveness and impunity have continued to prevail among State and non-State actors accused of violations. For instance, recent court directives on curbing the proliferation of hate speech have, to date, gone largely unheeded, particularly by public authorities in BJP-governed states.

Notable developments during the period under review included:

Delhi Police files chargesheet against NewsClick journalists

In March, Delhi Police filed an 8000-page chargesheet in a case registered under the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against journalists and others linked to NewsClick, an independent news outlet. Prabir Puryakastha, the founder-editor of NewsClick, has been in judicial custody since November 2023, along with the organisation’s HR head, who has reportedly turned state’s witness in the case.

NewsClick is accused of illegally receiving funds through Chinese entities with the intention of ‘undermining India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity’. In October 2023, Delhi Police had raided the residences and offices of around 46 journalists and other employees linked to NewsClick, and seized over 480 electronic devices.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and UK law firm Guernica 37 Chambers have approached the European External Action Service, asking it to initiate proceedings for the adoption of sanctions against four officials of the Special Cell, the Delhi Police’s counter-terrorism unit, who had conducted the arrests.

Continued incarceration of anti-CAA protestors

A Delhi court denied bail to Sharjeel Imam, one of several prominent student leaders who were arrested during protests in 2019 against India’s discriminatory Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). Imam, along with 59 others – including students and HRDs – have been charged under the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and accused of being part of the ‘larger conspiracy’ behind the targeted mass violence in Delhi in February 2020 that had left 53 dead, including 40 Muslims.

Of the 21 individuals arrested in connection with the ‘larger conspiracy’ case that is currently being probed by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell, 12 remain in jail, while 9 are out on bail.

In the 62 cases related to the 2020 violence that are being separately investigated by the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch, suspects have been identified only in 45, and charges framed only in 39. Only one person has been convicted. 25 persons have been discharged for want of evidence to even frame charges, while 346 are out on bail. 52 persons remain in jail.

In the 694 other cases being probed by the Delhi Police’s North-East station, chargesheets have been filed in only 368 (53 per cent). A total of 2174 persons were arrested, of which 108 remain in jail.

Disabled academic G. Saibaba acquitted over alleged Maoist links

G. Saibaba, a 58-year-old physically disabled academic, was released from jail after 11 years following his acquittal by the Bombay High Court on charges that he was part of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) armed separatist group. Saibaba and his co-accused, all of whom have been acquitted, were arrested between 2013 and 2014. They had been acquitted earlier in 2022, but the Supreme Court had set aside the acquittal and ordered a fresh hearing. Upon his release, Saibaba revealed that he was tortured and subject to abuse while in custody, denied a wheelchair and other forms of medical aid, and prohibited from attending his mother’s funeral. Saibaba is legally classified as ninety per cent physically disabled to polio, and also ails from several other serious health conditions.

Army reportedly finds ‘serious lapses’ in its conduct during custodial killings of 3 Muslims in J&K in December 2023

A news report revealed details of the Indian Army’s internal probe into the custodial killings of three Muslim villagers in Poonch (Jammu & Kashmir) in December last year, which was also marked by the torture of at least 24 Muslim civilians.

According to the report, the Army found ‘serious lapses’ in the overall conduct of the operation – which had been conducted in retaliation after a bomb attack left four army personnel dead – as well as the individual conduct of several Army personnel.

Administrative action has reportedly been recommended against a Brigade Commander and a Commanding Officer. (Administrative action entails departmental action, and not a trial, resulting in potential punishments like loss of seniority, a fine, censure, or termination of service.)

Disciplinary action has reportedly been recommended against an unknown number of personnel of various unknown ranks who were present during the interrogation. (Disciplinary action could mean a court martial, resulting in potential punishments including the death penalty, depending on the seriousness of the offence.)

The Indian Army’s investigations and disciplinary proceedings regarding human rights abuses have remained shrouded in secrecy. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), which shields security forces from civilian prosecution without prior sanction of the Central Government, has been active in Jammu since 2001, and in Kashmir since 1990. India’s historical failure in ensuring accountability for grave violations by security forces in Kashmir has been documented extensively by several international human rights organisations, including Amnesty International. Till date, no member of the armed forces accused of human rights abuses while operating in Kashmir has ever been tried in a civilian court. Convictions in military courts are extremely rare.

10 men convicted for mob lynching of Muslim cattle trader in Hapur in 2018

A District Court in Hapur (Uttar Pradesh) convicted 10 individuals accused of the murder of a Muslim man in June 2018. The convicts were sentenced to life imprisonment.

The convicts were part of a Hindu mob that had lynched Qasim, a 45-year-old cattle trader, and seriously injured another man, over allegations that they were involved in the slaughter of cows. The survivor had been a key witness in the case.

The victims’ family members expressed hope that the ruling would serve as a precedent in other similar cases.

In 2023, SAJC had documented 24 instances of Muslims being murdered by alleged members of Hindu extremist groups, including 13 who were killed by alleged cow ‘vigilantes’. These were in addition to 265 hate crime killings (of victims from all faith and caste groups) another civil society database, now taken down, had documented by December 2022. The verdict in Hapur is only the fifth known instance of the perpetrators of any of these killings being convicted by a court. (Convictions have also previously been reported in the cases of the 2016 lynching of Mazlum Ansari and Imteyaz Khan, and the 2017 lynching of Alimuddin Ansari, both in Jharkhand, and the 2018 lynching of Rakbar Khan in Rajasthan.)

Bombay HC grants bail to Shoma Sen in Bhima-Koregaon case

64-year-old Shoma Sen, one of 16 activists arrested under terrorism charges for allegedly inciting violence during a Dalit commemoration event in 2018, was released from jail after being granted bail on medical grounds by the Supreme Court. While five of those arrested have been released on bail – and an 84-year-old Jesuit priest died while in police custody – the others have completed close to six years under incarceration without trial. Multiple digital forensics agencies have confirmed that fabricated evidence had been planted on the digital devices of the arrested activists to enable their prosecution.