A Rise in Hate in India
In the run-up to India’s national elections in 2024, the South Asia Justice Campaign (SAJC) is deeply concerned about the rise of hate speech, incitement to violence and serious acts of violence against religious and ethnic minorities in the country.
In an annual review of human rights violations against minorities in India, SAJC has found disturbing evidence of increased anti-minority rhetoric, discrimination and acts of violence instigated by members of the ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The right to freedom of association, assembly and expression are being visibly curtailed, particularly in BJP-ruled provinces including Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Haryana, and Kashmir, with journalists, human rights defenders and dissenters bearing the brunt.
Other violations SAJC has recorded against religious and ethnic minorities in 2023 include lynchings, extra-judicial killings, arbitrary arrests and detention, as well as torture and sexual violence. In the north-eastern province of Manipur alone, where inter-ethnic violence erupted earlier this year, 180 people have been killed and 50,000 have been forcibly displaced, the majority of whom are from the Christian Kuki-Zo tribal communities. Kuki women have also been subjected to sexual violence. Across the country, SAJC has documented 20 extrajudicial killings of Muslims by Indian security forces, 27 instances of custodial torture and thousands of arbitrary arrests and detentions. SAJC also documented 25 killings of Muslims by Hindu extremists in lynching attacks.
These findings are particularly concerning in the context of the upcoming national elections. In the latest round of local elections this year, BJP-party politicians, activists and religious leaders were found to resort to hate speech and incitement to violence against minorities in political rallies and gatherings.
In response to these findings, the SAJC calls on the Indian government to:
- Take immediate action to stop and prevent hate speech and incitement to violence against ethnic and religious minorities, as well as take a public stand against any form of discrimination based on ethnicity and religion in the context of election and political campaigning in the run-up to the national elections.
- Ensure effective investigations and prosecutions of cases of hate speech and targeted crimes against religious minorities. Court decisions must be enforced, and victims of hate crimes should have access to justice and reparations.
- Engage fully with the United Nations and international human rights mechanisms to ensure accountability for violations against religious minorities.
South Asia Justice Campaign
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