A fragile ceasefire has brought a temporary halt to the recent war between India and Pakistan, but this conflict has significantly impacted regional strategic dynamics. It has also renewed international concerns over minority rights within India, particularly regarding its Muslim population, and the growing influence of Hindu nationalism under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Moreover, the recent escalation has also highlighted the dangers of strategic miscalculation in a nuclear-armed region.

Hindu nationalist groups like RSS, VHP, and Bajrang Dal, some extremist Hindu organisations that influence the BJP leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, hold that only Hindus are the “true sons of the soil”.

The ideological foundation of the BJP is rooted in Hindutva, an ideology that promotes Hindu culture and political supremacy. While the rivalry between Hindus and Muslims predates the inception of India and Pakistan, the recent expression of tensions has taken a disturbing turn. Hindu nationalist groups like RSS, VHP, and Bajrang Dal, some extremist Hindu organisations that influence the BJP leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, hold that only Hindus are the “true sons of the soil”. They consider Muslims to be infiltrators and outsiders in India and seek to prosecute Muslims and other minorities to fulfil their dream of establishing “Akhand Bharat” – Greater India.

Hate speech against minorities increased to 74 per cent, with 98.5 per cent of the instances directed towards Muslims in the country in 2024, with a large share reportedly involving members of the ruling party, the BJP.

Muslims, who make up 14 per cent of the Indian population, remain the most marginalized community of the country. This marginalization reached its apex during the rule of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). Violence, Prejudice, and hate speech against the Muslim community have become a routine affair under the Modi government. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly uttered Islamophobic remarks against Indian and Kashmiri Muslims. According to reports, hate speech against minorities increased to 74 per cent, with 98.5 per cent of the instances directed towards Muslims in the country in 2024, with a large share reportedly involving members of the ruling party, the BJP.

Over the years, right-wing Hindu extremists have killed a huge number of Muslims.

Another report suggests that 90 per cent of the religion-based hate crimes in 2009-19 transpired after the assumption of power by the BJP party in 2014. Moreover, 80 per cent of the events of hate speech were witnessed in the states ruled by the BJP. This hate speech led to communal violence in India, claiming the lives of more than 10000 people. Over the years, right-wing Hindu extremists have killed a huge number of Muslims, accusing them of slaughtering cows, which they consider a divine form of the Goddess.

One of the most emblematic events in India’s communal history was the destruction of the Babri Masjid in 1992 by a right-wing Hindu mob led by the RSS.

The BJP and religious affiliates have also targeted numerous Muslim mosques and shrines over the years. One of the most emblematic events in India’s communal history was the destruction of the Babri Masjid in 1992 by a right-wing Hindu mob led by the RSS. This attack and destruction were driven by the belief that the Babri Masjid was built on the ruins of the Ram temple. This sparked violent riots across the country in which around 2000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed.

In 2023, a Hindu temple was inaugurated on the same site, with government support, a move seen by many as the legitimization of mob justice in India. Since then, calls to reclaim other historical Muslim sites have intensified. In 2022, two Hindu nationalist lawyers petitioned for the conversion of the 800-year-old Shamsi Masjid into a Hindu temple, citing dubious historical claims. Reports suggest that thousands of mosques in India are under threat from the right-wing Hindu nationalists. Different human rights organizations, including the Human Rights Watch, have also raised solemn concerns over the plight of Muslims in India.

The Modi government has established close ties with Israel. Both countries hold an identical narrative towards Muslims. In the aftermath of the October 7 incident, many BJP followers stated that Israel and India face similar threats. The BJP government and Hindu extremists have repeatedly demonstrated their sympathies with Israel. Naor Gilon, Israel’s ambassador to India, stated that Tel Aviv can form another army with the number of Indian volunteers ready to serve Israel.

More than 11000 women, ranging from 11 years to 60 years of age, have been raped in IOK by the Indian security forces since 1989.

Many BJP supporters and officials, including India’s consul general to New York, Sandeep Chakravorty, have stated that India should adopt the Israeli model in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). India’s militarization of Kashmir has led to documentation of war crimes and human rights abuses by international human rights organizations. More than 11000 women, ranging from 11 years to 60 years of age, have been raped in IOK by the Indian security forces since 1989. Despite these horrifying reports, accountability remains elusive.

In a recent move, the Indian government has detained 1500 Muslims and demolished their homes after the Pahalgam attack, without providing any credible evidence of their involvement. India blamed Pakistan and Muslims after the Pahalgam attack. Pakistan demanded a neutral international investigation of the incident, suspecting that it may have been a false flag operation, a tactic allegedly employed before, such as in the Pulwama attack in 2019, by the BJP government.

The unprovoked use of Israeli-made Harop drones and BrahMos missiles to attack Pakistan led the region to the brink of a nuclear war.

It seems that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi thinks of Netanyahu as his role model. India’s suspension of the Indus Water Treaty following the Pahalgam attack is similar to the Israeli approach of using hunger and starvation as a weapon of war. The unprovoked use of Israeli-made Harop drones and BrahMos missiles to attack Pakistan led the region to the brink of a nuclear war. While intending to assert regional dominance, the Indian military’s performance, including the loss of 6 fighter jets in a brief dogfight with the Pakistan Air Force, undermined Prime Minister Modi’s regional aspirations, compounding the BJP government’s embarrassment.

The rise of extremism in India has raised concerns for the regional stability and Indian Muslims.

Except for Israel, no country supported India in this war. The BJP government sponsored target killings of the Sikh nationalists in Canada and the USA, tarnishing the international image of the country. The rise of extremism in India has raised concerns for the regional stability and Indian Muslims. After Palestine, India has turned into the worst living nightmare for Muslims. Prime Minister Modi’s pursuit of ‘Akhand Bharat’ not only threatens the country’s internal cohesion but also fuels regional instability. India must recognize that peace and stability, both at home and in the region, cannot be achieved through exclusion, repression, and militarization. The dream of a strong India must not come at the expense of minorities and democratic ideals.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.