IAMC Weekly India Human Rights Monitor (April 9, 2026)

This Week at a Glance 

This week, the Press Club of India flagged “arbitrary” social media takedowns curbing free speech, even as nearly 2 million voters were excluded from electoral rolls in West Bengal ahead of elections, disproportionately impacting Muslims, according to a Sabar Institute study. In Kerala, over 900 Islamophobic incidents have been recorded in 15 months, alongside criticism of BJP-linked candidates campaigning on calls to elect “Hindu MLAs.” A separate report highlights AI-driven disinformation targeting Muslims in Assam elections. In Srinagar, a court declared a man dead 28 years after army custody, underscoring enforced disappearance concerns. Meanwhile, three Muslim men were lynched in Nagaon, a Muslim woman was burned to death in Kolkata, cattle traders were assaulted by vigilantes in Hyderabad.

 

Top Stories

Press Club of India flags “arbitrary” social media takedowns, warns of free speech violations

The Press Club of India (PCI) has expressed concern over what it described as a recent spate of social media takedown orders targeting content critical of the government, stating that such actions are “arbitrary” and violate free speech.

 

 

 

 

 

Ahead of West Bengal Polls, 2 Million Voters Are Excluded From Electoral Rolls

Days before finalising electoral rolls for the West Bengal assembly elections, the Supreme Court of India allowed the Election Commission of India to bar nearly 2 million voters, rejecting the state’s plea to delay the freeze. The move affects those flagged during the SIR process, many now set to appeal. Meanwhile, a Sabar Institute study has flagged stark disparities, with Muslims comprising 95% of deleted voters in Nandigram. Similar concerns have emerged in Murshidabad, where 432 names were removed from a single Muslim-majority booth in Suti, raising allegations of targeted disenfranchisement.

 

Over 900 Islamophobic incidents in 15 months in Kerala; Hindutva and Left leaders among perpetrators

At least 909 instances of Islamophobia, including hate speech, discriminatory actions, and prejudicial campaigns, have been documented in Kerala between January 2025 and March 2026, according to data compiled by the Islamophobia Research Collective (IRC). Of these, 659 incidents were recorded in 2025, while 250 cases were reported in the first three months of 2026 alone.

 

 

 

 

Report flags AI weaponised disinformation targeting Muslims, Opposition leader in Assam polls

An election monitoring report has flagged what it calls an “unprecedented convergence” of AI-driven disinformation, electoral exclusion, and state-backed narratives in the run-up to the 2026 Assam Assembly elections, targeting the ‘Miya’ Muslim community. The report said that the 432 AI-generated posts across Facebook and Instagram had a combined network reach of 407.4 million followers.

 

 

Srinagar Court declares man dead 28 years after army custody

A Srinagar court has declared a man dead nearly 28 years after he was taken into Army custody in 1997, citing inquiry findings that he was killed in detention and applying the legal presumption of death. Human rights groups estimate that between 8,000 and 10,000 people have disappeared in Jammu and Kashmir since 1989, when the armed insurgency intensified.

 

 

 

 

Hate crimes and discrimination in India

This week, in Nagaon, three Muslim men were lynched to death by a mob over suspicions of dacoity, while in Kolkata, a 30-year-old Muslim woman was burned to death after rejecting a marriage proposal from a Hindu man. In Hyderabad, cattle traders were attacked by over 100 cow vigilantes despite carrying valid documents. Meanwhile, in Sambhal, Muslim residents demolished a madrasa, mosque, and school, after they were labeled as encroachments. In Tughlakabad, two men were detained for climbing a mosque and hoisting a saffron flag during a procession. BJP-linked candidates in Kerala have been accused of Islamophobic campaigning urging voters to elect “Hindu MLAs.” Amid this, the Supreme Court of India granted bail to a Muslim man in a conversion case, calling his 18-month incarceration “unfortunate.”

 

Resistance & Organizing

Catholic Union demands withdrawal of FCRA, warns of threat to Church assets

The All India Catholic Union has demanded the complete withdrawal of the FCRA Amendment Bill, raising strong objections to provisions that allow authorities to seize and manage the assets of registered organisations.

 

 

 

 

 

Muslim Personal Law Board opposes UCC in Gujarat, Uttarakhand

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has strongly opposed the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) recently passed by the Gujarat Legislative Assembly and earlier implemented in Uttarakhand, calling it “constitutionally flawed, legally untenable, and fundamentally violative of religious freedom and civil liberties.”

 

 

 

Defenders of the Week

This week, we’re featuring Fauzia Sheikh Alim, an elected Congress councillor in the Indore Municipal Corporation, who has emerged as a vocal grassroots representative known for raising civic concerns like water quality in her ward. This week, she firmly invoked her constitutional rights by refusing to sing Vande Mataram during a municipal session, questioning the legal basis for making it mandatory and citing her religious beliefs. Despite being shouted down and removed from proceedings, Alim maintained that faith cannot be coerced and that elected representatives should be allowed to prioritise public issues over symbolic compliance.

 

Voices from the Ground 

“Honourable learned Justice (Joymalya Bagchi), there is an election in less than four weeks and you’re asking citizens to wait for 60 days? Article 326 guaranteeing the right to vote does not contemplate deferral for administrative convenience. Will 20 lakh Indian citizens be disenfranchised only because courts don’t want to “rush it”? 

Can a constitutional democracy justify excluding voters because the system prefers not to “rush”?

 

– Sagarika Ghose, Trinamool Congress MP

IAMC in Action

• Who were the iconic queens Razia Sultan and Nur Jahan, and what can we learn from their stories? Journalist and author Tom Verde joins us on our latest episode of Beyond the Taj to talk about the palace intrigue, political rebellion, and powerful legacies of these iconic Muslim queens, drawing on the stories found in his recently published book Queens of Islam. Watch or stream this episode now on YouTube, Apple, and Spotify.     
• Alhamdulillah, IAMC is proud to announce that our Associate Media Director, Safa Ahmed, has authored Yaqeen Institute’s first-ever paper on Hindutva and its impact on Muslims both in India and beyond, covering all of these topics and more. Titled “Hindutva and Anti-Muslim Violence: How to Navigate Hindu Supremacy,” the paper raises awareness of this growing threat and equips Muslims with the knowledge needed to inspire meaningful, faith-driven action in response.

What to Watch Next Week

• Our upcoming episode of Beyond the Taj will feature a conversation with activist Safoora Zargar, who will be joining us to share the stories and struggles of Indian Muslim political prisoners.