N Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s India, minorities are cast as either infiltrators or in-house enemies. In Kolkata, hundreds of Christians marched against the organised attacks on their faith on Thursday. India Hate Lab has recorded 60 incidents of vandalism and assaults on pastors and prayer congregations on the pretext of illegal conversions since the BJP took power in West Bengal. Last month, a set pattern of vilification and persecution played out in central Delhi: 700 Muslim homes in three colonies were demolished, and 717 families forcibly moved to the outskirts. Saved by advocacy, the prime target another mosque listed as a heritage structure stands in the middle of the rubble. Mr Modi’s silence throughout his reign of fear shows his endorsement of hate. In fact, BJPlinked vigilantes who deliver hostile speeches and perpetrate hate crimes are rewarded with a higher station by the party.
For over a decade, Indian society at large has shown little discomfort with this base approach. Israeli-style policing and surveillance and a willingness to remove Muslims and their identity have gained momentum in the country because of the lack of internal checks and the silence of the majority. This attitude reeks of bigotry towards minorities and the lower castes. The world, too, has looked the other way. While lately, a youth wave, alongside a far more determined opposition, has attempted to stir India’s conscience, years of communalism and ghettoisation, amplified by a servile media, are difficult to erase.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination advised India to address hate speech, discrimination, and hate crimes, refrain from hounding Rohingya, Bengali Muslims, and migrants, and respect freedoms. However, it will take some time before greater political consciousness prevails, and minorities and other vulnerable sections are mobilised enough to reclaim their space, history, and rights. India is a lesson for the rest of the world to choose leaders wisely.