India has witnessed a disturbing escalation of mob violence, particularly targeting specific communities, in the aftermath of the 2024 general elections. These incidents have inflamed pre-existing religious divisions.
Experts say anti-Muslim sentiments have heightened under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has pursued a Hindu nationalist agenda since elected to power in 2014. Indian liberals have observed Modi’s manipulative politics over the years, including his silence during the 2002 anti-Muslim riots that resulted in the deaths of a thousand Muslims, the extrajudicial killings of Muslims under his administration, and the hate crimes against minorities and lower-caste citizens in the last five years of his rule. Despite this, they urged Muslims to abandon the victimhood narrative and trust Modi’s promises.
Factors contributing to this trend include heightened religious tensions (particularly surrounding cow protection), the influence of social media, and the actions of some politicians who have either failed to address the issue or have even encouraged violence.
Before the 2024 election results were announced, one of the Congress candidates Sunny Hazari made a statement that seemed prophetic after the election. “If Modi secures power, the BJP and the RSS will seek to alter the Constitution, dismantle democracy, and abolish reservation. If you desire to perpetuate servitude, then vote for Modi. Instead of addressing issues like unemployment and inflation, he is fixated on stirring religious tensions between Hindus and Muslims. His agenda appears to be inciting discord and provoking communal strife.”
Their claims find support in the annual report released by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in 2024. The report highlights the ongoing deterioration of religious freedom conditions in India. It points to discriminatory nationalist policies, Mob lynching, and communal violence targeting Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, Jews, and Adivasis, as well as the enforcement of laws such as UAPA, FCRA, CAA, and anti-conversion and cow slaughter laws. These measures have led to arbitrary detentions, surveillance, and the targeting of religious minorities and individuals advocating on their behalf.
In 2023, NGOs documented a staggering 687 incidents of violence targeting Christians. Several mosques faced destruction in the presence of law enforcement, and vigilantes attacked Muslims under the pretext of safeguarding cows from slaughter. Indian authorities persistently detained and harassed Kashmiri journalists, religious leaders, and human rights defenders.
In February 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs suspended the FCRA license of the Centre for Policy Research, an NGO dedicated to addressing social issues. Additionally, authorities conducted raids on the offices and homes of journalists associated with New Click.
A report documented disturbing incidents in June and early July 2024. There were ten lynchings reported across several Indian states, including Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and West Bengal. In one case, Chhattisgarh police arrested a suspect in the mob lynching of three minority youths. This arrest came after community protests erupted following the lynching. Another lynching involved a man in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh, reportedly due to suspicion of theft. The report also mentions additional incidents of communal violence in Telangana, Odisha, and Rajasthan, with concerns that such violence may increase in the coming days.
Targeted bulldozer actions occurred in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh (U.P.), along with forced evictions following attacks on Muslim establishments in Himachal Pradesh. Despite First Information Reports (FIRs), no arrests have been made in many cases purportedly supported by BJP and RSS elements in Bureaucracy and Judiciary.
In June 2023, clashes in Manipur State led to the destruction of more than 500 churches and two synagogues, displacing over 70,000 individuals. The following month, communal violence erupted in Haryana after a Hindu procession, resulting in the torching of a Muslim tomb and mosque, claiming the lives of seven individuals.
In September 2023, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian authorities of involvement in the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, followed by an alleged plot to assassinate Pannun in the United States. In December 2023, the Supreme Court of India upheld the revocation of Article 370, thereby dissolving the special status and autonomy of the Muslim-majority state.
There are no government statistics of hate crimes in India but there are a few media outlets that have attempted to track them. The events of 2023 underscore the urgent need for India to address issues of religious intolerance, discrimination, and violence. Protecting religious freedom and upholding human rights are essential for fostering a society that values diversity, tolerance, and respect for all its citizens.
