Nayyar Adnan
Between December 17 and 19, a large collection of major religious leaders, right-wing activists, hardline fundamentalist militants and Hindutva organisations came together at Haridwar for an event called the ‘Dharma Sansad’ or ‘Religious Parliament’. Over the course of three days, this event witnessed an extraordinary outpouring of hate speech, mobilisations to violence and anti-Muslim sentiment. Open call for genocide of Muslims in the so-called Dharm Sansad in Haridwar is the latest example of how far the cancer of hate and religious polarization has reached in Indian society. In unison, they took an oath to eliminate Muslims, if necessary, to achieve their goal of converting India into a Hindu-only nation.
The dog whistle of Islamophobia in India, which also claims to be the largest democracy, became a loud and clear call for genocide against its largest religious minority – more than 200 million Muslims. Since Modi came into power in 2014, it has taken various legislative and other actions that have legitimized discrimination against religious minorities and enabled violent Hindu nationalism. In 2021, three hundred incidents of persecution of minorities have been registered in India.
US State Department has released its international religious freedom report which paints a dark picture of the situation for religious minorities in India. India is on the path to self-destruction with its Hindutva policy targeting all minorities living in India. According to international nongovernmental organization (NGO) Human Rights Watch, “Witnesses accounts and video evidence showed police complicity in the violence.” Muslim academics, human rights activists, former police officers, and journalists alleged anti-Muslim bias in state departments especially police. Police always tried to twist the investigation in matters related to Hindu-Muslims or Hindu-Christian, in favor of Hindus, even in day to day affairs.
President Genocide Watch, Dr. Gregory H Stanton, has cautioned that Indian government’s actions against the Muslims in Kashmir have been an extreme case of persecution and could very well lead to genocide. In the picturesque valley, Dr. Stanton said, the Indian government has confined more than seven million Kashmiris to their homes. “The state has been under lockdown. The Narendra Modi government imposed a sweeping communications blackout and a curfew that was so draconian that residents couldn’t even step out. In short it is a police state,” warned Dr. Stanton, referring to the situation in the valley after the Hindu nationalist government in New Delhi unilaterally stripped the region of its constitutional autonomy.
Moreover, OHCHR’s (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights) Complaints Procedure Branch has issued a communication to India and same will be published in UN High Commissioner of Human Right’s report for the next session in July 2022. It has expressed their concerns on trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill 2021 and its compliance with the state obligations under international law to prevent gender equality and promoting human rights of trafficked persons. OHCHR reminded Indian government that Article 39 CRC provides that recovery and reintegration of child shall take place in environment, which fosters the health, self- respect and dignity of child victim.
Hindutva politics which is based on hatred and outright social division on religious lines continuously stokes anti-minority sentiments from grassroots to the top under Modi. There is a well-designed architecture of dog whistles, fake news, misinformation through social media, half-truths, and lies that incessantly demonize Muslims and spread hate and division in society.
Analysts who are closely monitoring the situation in India are of the view that the rise of fundamentalists is at the tip of a broader trend which has increased alarmingly since Modi came to power. According to experts, the religious minorities in India – particularly Muslims face the wrath of extremist groups that have existed as the silent majority for decades. The hate that appears to be visible and threatening in the form of calls for the elimination of Muslims, has been brewing for years. The crescendo of hate and violence has been building consistently with authorities gleefully looking the other way. The open call for genocide of Muslims in the so-called Dharm Sansad in Haridwar is the latest example of how far the cancer of hate and religious polarization has reached in Indian society.
Indian State has become the largest violator of human rights that are guaranteed in the UDHR. From genocide in Kashmir to suppression of religious minorities, India has become an apartheid state where human rights and equality have become a far-flung idea. US and EU must rise above their economic and strategic interests and call for the protection of human rights in Indian minorities and Kashmiris in IIOJK. The ‘rights’ that they (US & West) take extreme pride to defend and stand up for.
