Although India claims to be the world’s largest democratic and secular nation, for several years now, an all-out aggression against Muslims has been ongoing in the country.
The BJP government has been in power for three consecutive terms, ruling for 11 years. During this period, Muslims have been pushed out of the mainstream and increasingly marginalized.
The aggression and discriminatory treatment against Muslims in India is essentially a multilayered social and political reality that has intensified significantly in recent years.
Behind this lies Hindutva-driven politics, biased behavior from law enforcement agencies, propaganda by the media, and oppressive policies and laws formulated by the government aimed at alienating Muslims.
Across India, a systematic effort to erase the presence of Muslims is underway. However, the most extreme dominance of Hindutva ideology is witnessed in Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and Murshidabad district of West Bengal.
In Uttar Pradesh, the state is now governed by BJP leader Yogi Adityanath, a hardline Hindutva figure who is considered a strong contender for the Prime Minister’s post after Narendra Modi. Under his leadership, incidents of violence, vandalism, arrests, and political exclusion targeting Muslims have steadily increased.
It is worth mentioning that the world-renowned Darul Uloom Deoband, a prominent Islamic educational institution, is located in the town of Deoband in Uttar Pradesh. Established in 1866, the madrasa’s primary aim has been to provide Islamic education.
Apart from Deoband, Uttar Pradesh is home to numerous other madrasas where Muslim students are taught various religious subjects. These institutions play a significant role in nurturing Islamic education and spiritual development among Muslim youth.
However, due to the prevailing political climate in Uttar Pradesh and the widespread anti-Muslim sentiment, these madrasas are increasingly subjected to government surveillance and administrative pressure. Alongside this, other harsh realities are unfolding in the state.
One such example is the “Love Jihad” law, under which Muslim men are accused of marrying Hindu women with the intent to convert them. As a result, arrests and torture of Muslim men under this pretext have become commonplace.
Muslim youth are increasingly being detained under allegations of terrorism or so-called “Love Jihad,” and instances of custodial torture have risen.
This is accompanied by the “Bulldozer Policy”. Muslim protesters’ homes have been demolished with bulldozers without any court order.
Especially in 2022, in the wake of protests against derogatory remarks made by BJP leaders about the Prophet Muhammad (s), bulldozers were deployed against Muslim-owned homes and institutions.
Earlier in 2020, during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), Muslim protesters were labeled as rioters, and many Muslim businesses and homes were officially demolished by the state.
In some cases, ancient mosques and madrasas in Uttar Pradesh have also been declared illegal structures and subsequently evicted or demolished.
Interventions by authorities have increased in matters such as praying in public places or using loudspeakers for the call to prayer (Azan). In many parts of Uttar Pradesh, giving the Azan has effectively become a punishable offense, often carrying the risk of losing one’s life.
A similarly repressive situation is unfolding in the Indian state of Assam. In an attempt to strip Muslims of their citizenship rights, the government introduced the National Register of Citizens (NRC). As a result, 1.9 million people were excluded from the final list, among whom approximately 1.2 to 1.4 million were Muslims.
The BJP labeled those excluded as “illegal immigrants” and “Bangladeshis.” Consequently, even though there is no real connection, Bangladesh continues to be dragged into various internal Indian issues.
In Assam, many Muslim families, despite possessing centuries-old land documents, have been designated as “Doubtful Voters”.
Several detention camps have been set up across the state where thousands of Muslims are being held, many of whom have failed to prove their citizenship in court. As a result, their lives have become deeply uncertain and vulnerable.
Through the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the government opened a pathway to citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians, and Parsis, explicitly excluding Muslims. This law stands in stark contradiction to the secular principles of the Indian Constitution.
In addition, several Islamic madrasas in Assam have been forcibly shut down by branding them as terrorist training centers, and legal actions have been taken against teachers and students.
Moreover, local journalists and human rights activists who protested against these injustices have been charged with sedition. Poor Muslim villagers’ homes and mosques have been bulldozed.
In 2021, during an eviction protest in Darrang district, a farmer was shot dead by police, and shockingly, a police photographer was seen dancing on his dead body—a scene that shocked the world after it was exposed by the media.
Recently, Middle East Eye released a documentary on the persecution of Muslims in Assam. Although the documentary only scratches the surface of the situation, it still reveals the communal face of India lurking behind the mask of so-called secularism.
In recent times, a similar rise of Hindutva ideology has been reported in Murshidabad as well. Although Murshidabad is a Muslim-majority district in West Bengal, institutional discrimination, police harassment, and political exclusion are glaringly evident there.
Due to participation in the anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) protests, many Muslim youths have been arrested and harassed by the police.
In Muslim-populated areas, allocations for land and educational institutions are limited, and fewer development projects are implemented.
There is also a growing trend of withholding financial support for madrasas in Murshidabad. Both TMC (Trinamool Congress) and BJP have largely treated Muslims as a vote bank, without taking any concrete steps toward their overall development.
Even in the face of open persecution by the BJP, the ruling Trinamool government has failed to ensure the security of the district’s Muslims.
In recent years, the rise of the BJP in Murshidabad has been strategically engineered, leading to an increase in communal tensions. There have even been attempts to incite riots against Muslims.
Murshidabad suffers from widespread economic and administrative discrimination. Muslim-majority areas have been systematically excluded from developmental initiatives.
Disparities in education, healthcare, and employment have become increasingly severe. Under pressure from Hindu organizations, the local administration often attempts to seize or repurpose land belonging to mosques or graveyards.
As a result, the region’s long-standing social harmony and structure are at risk of collapse. In the media and political rhetoric, BJP leaders frequently insult Muslim-majority villages in Murshidabad by labeling them as “Pakistani villages.” Moreover, Muslim students in schools and colleges are often treated with bias and suspicion.
Recently, India’s Muslim Waqf Act has also been controversially amended, creating widespread concern and anxiety within the Muslim community. These legal changes have increased the central government’s control over Waqf properties, thereby threatening the religious, social, and economic rights of Muslims.
The amendment has weakened the administrative authority of state Waqf boards and strengthened the role of the Central Waqf Council, effectively allowing the government direct interference in Muslim religious institutions.
Under the revised law, it has become easier for the government to acquire Waqf properties for development projects. Previously, properties listed as Waqf were difficult to acquire, but the amendments have removed many such restrictions. This has increased the risk of mosques, graveyards, madrasas, dargahs, and other religious structures being taken over by the state.
Alongside this visible aggression, there is also a widespread intellectual assault on Muslims in India. Within the current Hindutva-driven political environment, history is being distorted to incite hatred against Muslims.
One major expression of this trend is the disrespect and erasure of great Muslim rulers from Indian history, the most recent example being the demolition of the tomb of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, and the subsequent harassment of Muslims connected to this incident.
Aurangzeb’s tomb was a historic site, modestly built by the emperor himself in an open field, and held significance for both Muslims and history enthusiasts.
According to the Indian Constitution, interference in such religious or historic sites is a violation of religious freedom. Yet, Hindutva elements remain unchecked. The entire history of the Mughals is being portrayed by Hindutva propaganda as racist and anti-Hindu.
Names of roads and cities associated with Mughal rulers like Aurangzeb, Babur, Humayun, and Shah Jahan are being changed. This reflects an effort to erase Muslim history from India.
The driving force behind this ongoing aggression against Muslims is the politicisation of Hindutva ideology.
The BJP and affiliated Hindu nationalist organisations—especially extremist groups like the RSS and Bajrang Dal—have weaponized the concept of Muslim identity as being opposed to Indian national identity, thus creating fear among minorities.
Anti-Muslim propaganda has surged across media and social platforms. There are also allegations of bias within the administration, police, and judiciary.
Events in Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and Murshidabad prove that Muslims are facing a planned, institutional, and politically sanctioned discrimination. This is not only a gross violation of human rights, but also a grave threat to the secular and democratic ideals that India claims to uphold.
Reference:
- https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/02/india-authorities-must-immediately-stop-unjust-targeted-demolition-of-muslim-properties/
- https://time.com/6303571/how-bulldozers-became-a-symbol-of-anti-muslim-sentiment-in-india/
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/4/22/indian-police-accused-of-targeting-muslims-over-anti-caa-protests
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