IAMC Weekly India Human Rights Monitor (January 16, 2026)

This Week at a Glance 

This week, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum ranked India among the countries most at risk of mass atrocities, as new data pointed to escalating abuses against religious minorities. Human rights groups documented at least 50 extrajudicial killings of Muslims in 2025, along with more than 1,300 incidents of hate speech targeting Muslims and Christians – both sharp increases from the previous year. Reports also described the forced expulsion of Bengali-speaking Muslims into Bangladesh despite valid citizenship documents, lynchings linked to cattle theft allegations, arson attacks targeting Muslim students, and demolition campaigns carried out without due process in Muslim neighborhoods. The week also saw mob violence and arson in Tripura, allegations of rape and murder in Bihar, explicit threats ordering Muslims to leave villages in Uttar Pradesh, and expanded state surveillance and prosecutions under harsh security laws.

 

Top Stories

India Ranks 4th Among Countries Most at Risk of Mass Atrocities, U.S. Holocaust Museum Warns

A new study by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum warns that India is the world’s fourth most at-risk country for mass violence against civilians over the next two years. The report assessed 168 countries for the likelihood of intrastate mass killings, or the deliberate killing of civilians by either state or nonstate actors within that country. Notably, India ranks first among countries facing this level of risk that are not already experiencing widespread, large-scale violence.

 

 

At least 50 extrajudicial killings of Muslims reported in 2025, over half committed by Hindu extremists

Data from the South Asia Justice Campaign shows that at least 50 Muslims were killed in extrajudicial killings in India in 2025, with 27 of those victims killed by Hindu extremists. Two children were among the 23 Muslims killed last year in incidents involving police, armed forces, or other state security personnel. The data also looks into arbitrary arrest, large-scale expulsion and refoulement of Bengali-speaking Muslims and other forms of atrocities faced by Muslims in India.

 

 

 

Over 1,300 hate speech incidents against Muslims, Christians in India in 2025

About 1,318 in-person hate speech events targeting religious minorities, primarily Muslims and Christians, were documented in an annual report released by the India Hate Lab (IHL). This represents a 13% increase from 2024, and a 97% increase from 2023. The hate speech included the propagation of conspiracy theories, calls for violence, appeals for social or economic boycotts, demands to seize or destroy places of worship, dehumanizing language, and speeches targeting Rohingya refugees living in India.

 

 

 

Security Forces illegally pushed 14 Bengali-speaking Muslims from Odisha into Bangladesh, Families Allege

Fourteen Bengali Muslims from Odisha were pushed into Bangladesh by the security forces after being labelled as Bangladeshi nationals, their families have alleged. All the families possess valid identification documents including Aadhaar cards, voter ID cards, ration cards, and old land records. The victims include four children, five women, and five men.

 

 

 

 

Muslim man lynched to death over allaged cattle theft, Muslim student suffers arson attack

A 45-year-old Muslim man, identified as Pappu Ansari, was beaten to death by a mob after he was accused of stealing cattle in Jharkhand’s Godda. Meanwhile, a 19-year-old Muslim student suffered burn injuries after an arson attack in broad daylight outside a college in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad.

 

 

 

 

 

Over 20 Structures Demolished in Muslim neighbourhood in Bengaluru

In yet another demolition drive that has raised serious questions about legality, due process and state accountability, officials in Karnataka’s Bengaluru razed around 22 structures in a predominantly Muslim neighbourhood. Officials themselves later admitted that “the demolition was carried out without serving notice.” Meanwhile, officials in Uttar Pradesh’s Deoria have begun demolishing an allegedly “illegally” constructed shrine.

 

Hate crimes and discrimination in India

This week, in Tripura’s Fatikroy, Muslim-owned homes, shops, and a mosque were set on fire by Hindu extremist groups despite police personnel being present. In Bihar’s Madhepura, a widowed Muslim woman, Hina Parveen, was abducted, gang raped and murdered. In Uttar Pradesh’s Sikandrabad, a threat note warning all Muslims to vacate the village within 24 hours or be burned alive was left inside the homes of Muslims. Meanwhile, a British doctor, Sangram Patil, was detained for over 15 hours at the Mumbai airport in connection with allegedly derogatory social media posts about the Bharatiya Janata Party and its leaders. The Jammu and Kashmir police have launched a large-scale exercise to collect information on mosques in the Valley, as well as their imams, muezzins, members of their management committees and their charity wings.

 

Resistance & Organizing

Court orders complaint against 12 police officers in Sambhal mosque violence case

A court in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal has ordered police to register a criminal case against 12 police personnel, including senior officers, over their alleged role in a shooting incident during violence near the Shahi Jama Masjid in November 2024. Anuj Chaudhary, a celebrated cop among Hindu supremacist groups, made headlines after the violence for making anti-Muslim remarks.

 

 

 

Court orders $5,000 compensation for Muslim minor jailed for two months

The Patna High Court has held the arrest of a Muslim minor student by the Bihar police to be “unlawful” after he was kept in jail for over two months, and ordered the State to pay him over $5,000 as compensation, asserting that it could not remain a “mute spectator”.

 

 

 

 

 

Defenders of the Week

This week we’re spotlighting Abdul Naeem, a resident of Dhaba village in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul district, who continued pursuing an education project despite being targeted by right-wing elements and administrative action. After investing nearly $22,000 of his personal savings and loans to build a school for tribal children, parts of the school building were demolished following false rumors labeling it an “illegal madrasa.” The demolition took place despite Naeem holding land diversion approval, a no-objection certificate from the panchayat, and having applied to the state’s School Education Department. Naeem has rejected the allegations, stating that the school was strictly educational and that he was willing to address any procedural concerns.

 

Voices from the Ground 

“Now we learn about a new lynching of a Muslim and turn the page. We do not want to be bothered by negativity. This disease is spreading to new regions, but we still feel it is not serious.”

~ Professor Apoorvanand, University of Delhi

 

IAMC in Action

• Last week, we held a briefing in response to the Indian Supreme Court’s denial of bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, featuring human rights and international law experts from India and the US. Watch the full briefing here. 
• The latest episode of our podcast, Beyond the Taj, features a discussion with Professor Arjun Singh Sethi on the history of Muslim-Sikh solidarity in the diaspora. Watch or stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

What to Watch Next Week

• Our upcoming episode of Beyond the Taj features a conversation on building Hindu-Muslim unity in the diaspora with Ria Chakrabarty, Senior Policy Director at Hindus for Human Rights. Be sure to subscribe on all streaming platforms so you don’t miss the drop!