The radicalization of Indian society is at its peak under the government of PM Modi. The ultranationalist Hindus are roaming everywhere in India and making the life of general masses, particularly Muslims, miserable. The history of terrorist armed organizations in India is almost 200 years’ old, which clearly means that thousands of Muslims had been killed in India for years. Terrorist organizations in India started terror activities in 1827 When Raja Ram Mohan founded an organization called Brahmo Samaj, which was later renamed Arya Samaj by his successors Dinanand and Dr. Munje. The agenda was to expel Muslims from India by declaring them foreigners. That was the beginning of the idea of ​​a united India.
India has been proactively engaged in destabilizing regional peace. Indian military is directly confronting with the armed forces of Pakistan and China. Similarly, India never missed a chance to malign Pakistan over flimsy grounds.
The successive governments in India have been trying to create negative optics against Pakistani government and armed forces. This trend is being followed since the partition of sub-continent back in 1947. Pakistan bashing and accusing Islamabad of every terrorist incident India has become pivotal part of Indian foreign policy. New Delhi’s diplomatic missions abroad are proactively engaged in misguiding international community against Pakistan. As a result, Indian Muslims are being punished every day in the form of riots. It is an astonishing that these extremist-minded personnel even rose to the ranks of generals in the Indian Army. In a nutshell, it would be fair enough to imply that India has become caldron of anti-Pakistan activities and propaganda.
For BJP, PM Modi remained unblemished during his first term in office notwithstanding unfavorable signs despite what might be expected, remembering lynching of Muslims by encouraged Hindus. Modi’s picture as a down to earth, business-situated leader, who has shunned Hindu fanaticism currently lies shredded. The destitution rate in India is increasing once more. Numerous Hindu youth have been radicalized. Everything necessary in Modi’s India to marshal a horde, as Kapil Mishra showed in Delhi, is a word. And everything necessary to transform the horde’s frenzy into a slaughter against a strict minority is complicity of police. However, across India, fearless residents keep on consuming open spaces in tranquil dissent. They realize that all they have left to spare their majority rule republic is each other. They realize that, quickly, the horde can seek them as well.
Thus, extremist Indian organizations, such as RSS and World India Organization, have changed their cloak over time to show their anger (in the form of sectarian riots) against Indian Muslims to avenge the partition of India and accomplish its so called dream of Akhand Bharat (United India).
Except for certain exceptions, overall Indian media failed to deliver truth to the public and upheld government’ point of view during and after the carnage.
The BJP, a political wing of Hindu racist RSS has stubbornness to stick to a particular ideology of Hindutva and not allow any other one to co-exist or to out-rightly refuse any alternate thought for the supremacy and dominance of Hindus. Intolerance and bigotry, which echoes its parochialism through hate-speech, are the hallmark of BJP.
In addition to this, Hindu zealots, with the help of state, are carrying out attacks against Muslims and other minority community. They are making their lives miserable. Recently, right-wing Hindu government in state of Uttrakhand has ordered demolition of houses of 50,000 Muslims. The Muslim residents in Haldwani town received the shock of their lives as they were asked to vacate the houses. Similarly, Mosques in India are dispensable. 16th century Shahi Masjid demolished in UP for widening of GT road just 2 days before the lower court was set to hear the matter.
Intolerance towards Muslims and other minority groups is on the rise in Narendra Modi-led India with Hindu extremist groups using violence, intimidation, and harassment against minorities on daily basis in the country. Recently, a church was vandalized and a statue of Mary was destroyed in India’s Chhattisgarh state. The critics of restricting freedom of speech often argue that it would amount to taking away the liberty of an individual. However, under the guise of exercising intrinsic rights, many perpetuate the crime of hate speech, giving rise to an air of distrust, and terror as it has become a norm in India.
Now, the time has come where international community must set aside their political, military and economic interests with India and must punish New Delhi for its vicious campaign against Pakistan. They must take notice of New Delhi’s continuous barbaric approach in Jammu and Kashmir where world’s largest humanitarian and communication blockade is going on. Likewise, international human rights organizations must come forward and ensure basic and fundamental rights of Kashmiri people.
With every passing day, Hindutva ideology is being expanded in the country. The goons of armed organization such as RSS and Bajrang Dal are beating, vandalizing and targeting Muslims and other members of lower caste (Dalits).
All this is being done under the patronage of nationalist and warmongering Indian government. Those who questioned Indian government’s fake claim are being killed and tortured publically in BJP-led states. Despite all these biased tendency of Indian government, government officials are still talking about the mantra of so called secular India. But the fact is that Indian democracy is under severe threat due to rise of Hindutva across the country.
It would be wise to say that Indian media has become mouthpiece of BJP and other extremist organizations to fuel more hatred in India. With this approach of Indian political, military and media fraternities, the concept of Nehruvian secular India has been vanishing from Indian society.
The writer is an Islamabad based expert of strategic affairs.