IAMC Report: State of Religious Minorities in India (March 2022)

By Noelle Jones

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) still have not effectively condemned recent and past calls for mass violence against Christians and the genocide of Muslims, this report details the continuing hate speech (including renewed calls for mass violence and genocide), discriminatory policies, harassment, and violence targeting Christians and Muslims over March 2022. Utilizing news reports and data from human rights organizations, this report outlines how the events of March 2022 display the multilevel complicity of the Indian government and society in the cycle of systematic and widespread persecution of religious minorities.

This multi-level complicity, the environment of impunity, and continuing pattern of persecution of religious minorities illustrate the potential of genocidal sentiments being realized by right-wing Hindu nationalists who seek to establish a purely Hindu nation (Hindu Rashtra). To combat the escalating persecution of religious minorities, the report includes recommendations for the US government, the international community, and India to de-escalate the situation and prevent impending mass categorical violence and genocide.

(Noelle Jones is a genocide researcher at the Indian American Muslim Council)