MM Report
NEW DEHLI: A recent report published by the Indian news outlet The Wire drew renewed attention to allegations of human rights violations against religious minorities in India, particularly Muslims, and warned that such abuses were taking place under the oversight of the state.
The report argued that the incidents it documented were not isolated or sporadic but formed part of what it described as a broader and systematic political and ideological project pursued under the RSS-influenced government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to The Wire, extremist Hindu groups had increasingly targeted Muslims in the name of religion, often acting openly and with little fear of accountability. The report claimed that self-styled religious protectors and vigilante groups frequently operated with impunity, while law enforcement agencies, especially the police, either failed to intervene or become complicit through silence or inaction.
It described the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party as being dominated by figures linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), accusing some leaders of endorsing intimidation campaigns, publicly branding Muslims as traitors, or encouraging the circulation of weapons at public gatherings to kill Muslims.
The report further alleged that the so-called secular Modi-led Indian government had promoted the protection and expansion of Hindutva ideology as a way of diverting public attention from accusations of corruption, economic mismanagement and governance failures. It claimed that Hindu nationalist organizations had amassed wealth running into more than 100bn rupees through what it described as fraudulent practices.
The Wire argued that much of India’s large media landscape had failed to adequately report violence against Muslims, instead portraying the minority community as aggressors or framing incidents in ways that diluted the role of extremist groups. This, the report said, had contributed to a climate in which communal violence was normalized and minority voices were marginalized.
The publication warned that under Modi’s leadership, the influence of Hindutva had expanded sharply, with policies and practices affecting minorities representing what it described as a serious erosion of constitutionally guaranteed religious freedoms. It concluded that India’s ideological shift posed a significant risk to the country’s secular foundations and threatened to deepen communal divisions at a time of growing social and political strain.
