Islamabad: On the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, a new report alleges ongoing persecution of religious minorities in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir and across India. The report claims systematic targeting by Indian forces and government-backed groups against Muslims, Christians, and other minorities under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the research section of the service released the report today, asserting that Indian security forces and government agencies have significantly curtailed the religious freedoms of Kashmiri Muslims. It accuses the Modi government of engaging in demographic changes in Kashmir as a part of a broader strategy based on religious discrimination. The report also cites the Gujarat riots of 2002 and recent anti-Muslim violence as indicators of a long-standing pattern of persecution.
The document criticizes the rise of Hindutva ideology and Islamophobia, highlighting instances where religious sites and minorities have been targeted, including the alleged destruction of 300 churches in Manipur by Hindu mobs. It claims that these actions are part of a larger effort by the RSS-backed BJP government to implement policies that would lead to the ethnic cleansing of Muslims through laws like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the National Population Register (NPR), and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Moreover, the report emphasizes the illegal detention of hundreds of Muslim and minority religious scholars and students under draconian laws, urging the international community to take concrete steps to ensure the protection of vulnerable groups in India and Kashmir.
The report concludes by calling for global action to hold the Indian government accountable for what it describes as crimes against humanity directed at religious minorities and Kashmiris.