In the first week of August, the city of Gurugram, known for its affluence and economic growth, was engulfed in chaos and violence. Hindu mobs targeted Muslim homes, businesses, and places of worship, leaving the city reeling. This upheaval was a direct response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s increasing political insecurity. Recent setbacks, including a defeat in a key election and the formation of a united opposition coalition, had shaken Modi and his Hindu-supremacist movement. In an effort to regain political control, they unleashed the Hindu right-wing upon India’s minorities.
For decades, religious conflicts in India have followed a predictable pattern, orchestrated by Hindu organizations who provoke and incite violence. This systematic approach to engineering riots has proven to be politically advantageous for the Hindu right-wing. A study conducted by Yale showed that these riots often resulted in increased vote shares for the parties of the Hindu right. Under Modi’s leadership, the benefits of religious polarization have only grown. With his charismatic presence and successive victories in Parliament, Modi has elevated the Hindu-supremacist movement to unprecedented power.
Modi’s rise to international prominence was marred by the 2002 religious riots in Gujarat, where he served as chief minister. The violence resulted in the deaths of over 1,000 people, mostly Muslims. At the time, Modi was banned from the United States for his role in the religious freedom violations. However, after becoming Prime Minister in 2014, he sought to maintain his Hindu support base without attracting further global scrutiny. This tactic was tested in 2015 when a Muslim man named Mohammed Akhlaq was lynched by his Hindu neighbors. While calls for Modi to condemn the violence grew, he remained silent for weeks, which was interpreted as an endorsement by his followers. This pattern of strategic silence has become characteristic of Modi’s politics.
Under Modi’s leadership, cow-based lynchings, fueled by hate speech and rhetoric around cow slaughter, have become increasingly common. These violent acts, targeting Muslims who are suspected of consuming beef, have been routine occurrences, often relegated to the inside pages of newspapers. Meanwhile, in his speeches abroad, Modi champions democracy and human rights, despite the ongoing persecution and discrimination faced by India’s minority communities.
The sustained terror and violence against Muslims in India is a result of the alliance between vigilantism and a partisan state. Since Modi took office, 90% of hate crimes in India have occurred, signaling a rise in Hindu supremacism. The targeting of interfaith marriages and the demolitions of Muslim homes further illustrate the systematic discrimination faced by India’s Muslims.
From his time in political obscurity to his current global prominence, Modi has remained a steadfast Hindu supremacist. The persecution of Muslims in India is a continuation of the logic of the 2002 violence, albeit in a more dispersed and unpredictable manner. As India faces ongoing tensions and instability, the world must not turn a blind eye to the human rights abuses and violence inflicted upon its minority communities.
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