India’s religious minority groups, particularly Muslims, face increasing demonization by hard-line Hindu groups, pro-government media and state officials, says the annual report of rights watchdog Amnesty International. India’s coalition government led by the pro-Hindu Bharati- ya Janata Party (BJP) is using laws to suppress freedom of expression, the report released on Feb. 22 in New Delhi said.
“At least 10 Muslim men were lynched and many injured by vigilante cow protection groups, many of which seemed to operate with the support” of the BJP, it added. Some arrests were made but no convictions were reported.
The report also highlighted that India’s indigenous communities continue to suffer displacement because of industrial projects, while hate crimes against Dalits remain widespread. More than 6,500 crimes were committed against indigenous people in 2016 and their communities continued to face displacement as the government acquired land for projects such as mining, the report said.
In September 2017, activists protested Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat State, saying it had displaced some 40,000 families without paying adequate reparation. “Authorities were openly critical of human rights defenders and organizations, contributing to a climate of hostility against them,” the report said.
The report titled “The State of the World’s Human Rights 2017-18″ covers 159 countries and delivers a comprehen- sive analysis of the state of human rights in the world today.
“Muslims in India and Sri Lanka, Shias in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and Hindus in Bangladesh have all come under attack over the past year. In each case, the governments have either failed to protect them, been indifferent to their fate or even encouraged a climate of hostility,” Patnaik said.
