IAMC Weekly India Human Rights Monitor (August 15, 2025)

This Week at a Glance 

This week, opposition leaders accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of enabling vote theft in the 2024 general election, leading the Supreme Court to order the ECI to explain why 650 thousand names were deleted off the voter roll in Bihar. Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam continue to have their homes and families attacked by Hindu supremacists. A wrongfully deported Muslim teen returned from Bangladesh after weeks in detention; Hindu supremacists lynched two Muslim men to death in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra; and civic officials have called for closure of meat shops on Independence Day. On the US front, IAMC released an Action Alert calling on people to contact their elected officials and make it known that Indian Americans are against the ethnic cleansing of Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam. We are standing in solidarity with the Sikh community following a horrific attack on 70-year-old Harpal Singh in North Hollywood, California. And we’re commemorating Indian Independence Day by reminding everyone that Indian Muslims are proud of who we are, no matter where we are in the world. 

Top Stories

1. Election Commission of India Accused of Vote Theft in 2024 Elections

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of enabling large-scale voter list manipulation to help the ruling BJP “steal” the 2024 general elections, citing over 100,000 fake or invalid entries in a single Karnataka constituency. Hundreds of opposition party members marched in protest against the ECI in Delhi, and dozens were arrested. 

Image: ANI

2. Supreme Court Orders ECI to Explain Deletion of 650k Voters in Bihar 

In a shocking move just days after Gandhi’s accusations of vote theft, India’s top court has directed the ECI to publish a list of 6.5 million electors excluded from Bihar’s draft voter roll, along with specific reasons for each removal. The order, which includes public display of names both online and offline, follows growing concerns over the ECI’s alleged partiality towards the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

3. Muslim Men Lynched to Death in Mob Attacks in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra

A Muslim truck driver in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur was beaten to death by Hindu pilgrims over false suspicions of carrying cattle remains. In Maharashtra’s Jamner, 21-year-old Suleman Rahim Khan was abducted by a Hindu mob after being accused of “love jihad.” The extremists tortured Khan across multiple locations, and dumped his lifeless body outside his family home.

4. Muslim Properties Targeted in Assam Following Complaints by Ethno-Nationalists

Muslims continue to be targeted across BJP-ruled Assam. In Tinsukia, officials razed a madrasa and the boundary wall of a mosque after the nationalist group Bir Lachit Sena claimed they were illegally built. In Jorhat, municipal authorities demolished legally leased properties of a Muslim contractor in June, after the Sena’s leader falsely accused him of being a Bangladeshi immigrant. 

5. Wrongfully Deported Indian Muslim Teen Returns from Bangladesh

As nationwide anti-Bangladeshi sentiment spikes, fifteen-year-old Amir Sheikh from West Bengal was detained in Rajasthan, held without charge, and reportedly pushed across the border by Indian authorities in June. He spent over a month in detention in Bangladesh before being released. His family accuses police and the Border Security Force of targeting Bengali-speaking migrants under a wider anti-immigration campaign in BJP-ruled states.

Image: Maktoob

6. Hate crimes and discrimination in India

This week, multiple cities ordered meat shops and slaughterhouses shut on Independence Day, sparking outrage. In Karnataka, BJP lawmaker Basanagouda Patil Yatnal announced a cash reward scheme for Hindu men marrying Muslim women, while in Uttar Pradesh, controversial officer Anuj Chaudhary, criticized for anti-Muslim actions, was promoted to Additional Superintendent of Police. In Thane, Muslim leaders protested politically motivated calls to remove mosque loudspeakers, and in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district, a mob assaulted 36 members of eight Christian families after Sunday prayers.

Resistance & Organizing

“You Are Never Alone”: Umar Khalid’s Fifth Birthday in Prison Met with Wave of Solidarity

Prisoner of Conscience and human rights defender Umar Khalid turned 38 this week, marking his fifth birthday behind bars following his wrongful arrest under India’s draconian anti-terror laws. From Arundhati Roy to Swara Bhasker and Prakash Raj, public figures and supporters flooded social media with messages hailing his courage and resilience, vowing to continue the fight for his release. Civil society groups joined in, reaffirming Khalid’s place as a symbol of hope and resistance.

Assam Women’s Forum to Challenge Government’s Arms Licence Policy

Assam’s Nari Nagarik Manch launched a campaign against Hindu supremacist Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s plan to arm “indigenous” residents in Muslim-majority districts. The women’s collective warns the move will “undo decades of peace-building,” escalate communal tensions, and fuel gender-based violence. The group plans to petition top authorities and, if necessary, file a court case to stop the policy.

Defender of the Week

 

Image: Adnan Abidi / Reuters

This week, we’re spotlighting the hundreds of Indian opposition leaders who held a protest march in Delhi against the Election Commission of India, demanding that the body release voter data for an independent audit. Several opposition leaders attempted to cross police barricades, as seen above, and dozens were arrested. 

Voices from the Ground 

“This fight is not political but for saving the constitution. The truth is before the entire country.”

– Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, in a quote given to reporters before being detained for protesting the ECI

IAMC in Action

• In response to the Assam government’s ruthless campaign of demolitions and forced evictions targeting Bengali-origin Muslims, IAMC is calling on our base to contact your representatives and tell them to take a stand against this campaign of ethnic cleansing. Take action here. 
• IAMC is appalled and saddened by the horrific attack on a Sikh elder, 70-year-old Harpal Singh, in California. We stand by our Sikh friends and allies in calling on authorities to investigate hate as a potential motive in this crime. Read our statement of solidarity here. 
• We’ve released new articles for the Indian Muslim Story on Akbar, the Mughal king known for his commitment to pluralism, and Surayya Tyabji, who played a significant role in designing the Indian Tricolor as we know it today. Check them both articles here. 
• We’re continuing to catalogue daily hate crimes against Muslims and other minorities in India on our social media. Follow us on X and Instagram to keep up to date on the situation.

What to Watch Next Week

• The Savera coalition is continuing to release installments of our new zine, titled “Savera’s Guide to Recognizing Hindu Supremacy.” We will release new installments of the zine every week. You can start reading the zine from this post. 
• Our friends at Hindus for Human Rights and the International Commission for Dalit Rights are now accepting submissions for their Student Art & Essay Contest. Check out this year’s prompt here. 
• Our friends at CAIR National have just opened registration for their leadership & policy conference on Resilience, Resistance & Renewal in September. You can learn more here.