IAMC Weekly India Human Rights Monitor (January 30, 2026)
This Week at a Glance
This week, a UN rights body slammed the systemic discrimination against Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, as migrant Muslim workers from West Bengal were found dead amid reports of targeted violence. In Uttarakhand, a Kashmiri shawl seller was assaulted due to his identity, while a Hindu extremist mob vandalized the shrine of revered Sufi poet. India denied visas to a Palestine-supporting Israeli theatre troupe invited to perform in Kerala. Meanwhile, Sharjeel Imam completed six years in pre-trial detention, a Muslim couple in Uttar Pradesh jumped from a building to escape Hindu militant harassment, a discredited “religious conversion” case was revived despite police findings, bail was granted to the accused in a mob-lynching case in Karnataka, and Christian families were assaulted and driven out of their village in Chhattisgarh.
Top Stories
UN rights body flags discrimination against Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam
The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) raised serious concerns over racial discrimination against Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, flagging exclusions during the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process, forced evictions, hate speech, and alleged excessive use of force by law-enforcement agencies. Recently, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that “400,000 to 500,000 Miya (anti-Muslim slur) voters” will be deleted when the special intensive revision of electoral rolls takes place in the state. Sarma added that his job is to “make them suffer,” in clear violation of hate speech laws.
Meanwhile, two Muslim migrant workers from West Bengal were found dead in separate incidents, with both families reporting that they were killed as part of the growing violence against Bengali-speaking workers in India.
18-Year-Old Kashmiri Shawl Seller Attacked in Uttarakhand, Suffers Injuries
An 18-year-old boy selling shawls with his family in Uttarakhand was assaulted by a mob, who attacked them for their Kashmiri Muslim identity. The boy was beaten with iron rods and punched repeatedly, leaving him with a fractured arm and serious head injuries. Other family members were also assaulted.
Hindu mob vandalizes shrine of Sufi poet Baba Bulleh Shah in Uttarakhand
The shrine of 18th-century Sufi poet Baba Bulleh Shah in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, was vandalized by a mob of Hindu extremists, who were seen chanting the Hindu supremacist slogan “Jai Sri Ram” while damaging its interior. Baba Bulleh Shah was one of the most influential Sufi poets, philosophers, and humanists in Punjabi literature.
India’s visa refusal stops Palestinian-supporting Israeli troupe from performing in Kerala
A Palestinian-supporting Israeli theatre troupe was unable to perform at the International Theatre Festival of Kerala (ITFoK) after the Indian Embassy in Israel denied visas to the group, leading to the cancellation of two scheduled performances. The troupe was set to stage The Last Play in Gaza, a production that reflects the present condition of Palestinian theater.
Hate crimes and discrimination in India
January 28, 2026 marked six years since Sharjeel Imam, a research scholar and prominent face of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) movement, was arrested and jailed under draconian laws. This week, in Uttar Pradesh, a young couple sustained injuries after they jumped from the second floor of a restaurant while trying to escape harassment by members of Bajrang Dal. A religious conversion case in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad has resurfaced after the brother of a Hindu girl filed a fresh complaint against her Muslim classmates, despite police having stated just a week earlier that no evidence of coercion was found and that the girl wore a burqa voluntarily. The Karnataka High Court granted bail to a man who was among those booked for mob lynching of a mentally unwell Muslim man. Two families who had converted to Christianity were allegedly beaten and forced to leave their hamlet in Bastar, Chhattisgarh.
Resistance & Organizing
Six years later, court acquits three Muslim men in Akshardham Temple attack case
Three Muslim men arrested in connection with the Akshardham Temple attack case have been acquitted by a special Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) court in Ahmedabad, bringing relief to the accused after years of legal proceedings. The court held that there was no evidence on record against them beyond what had already been examined and rejected by the Supreme Court earlier.
Padma Awards 2026: Muslim Artists and Scholars Honoured for Folk Arts, Literature, and Education
Four prominent Muslim personalities have been named among the recipients of India’s prestigious Padma Awards 2026. They are south Indian cinema superstar Mammootty, folk artists Ghaffaruddin Mewati Jogi and Mir Hajibhai Kasambhai. Nuruddin Ahmed from Assam for sculpting and visual art, and Kashmiri Professor Shafi Shauq for his contributions to education and literature.
Defenders of the Week
This week, we feature Sahar Shaikh, AIMIM’s newly elected corporator from Mumbra, who has stood firm in the face of a coordinated hate campaign following her victory in the Thane Municipal Corporation elections. One of the youngest corporators from the area, Shaikh was targeted by senior BJP leaders, including Navneet Rana, after her victory speech was deliberately misrepresented. Despite police complaints filed against her and sustained online abuse, Shaikh responded with clarity and resolve, publicly rejecting communalism and asserting her secular politics.
Voices from the Ground
“Oh! How can one have peace after watching the helplessness of this young Kashmiri/Muslim boy? How? What must he be thinking? About this cruel nation, about the cruelty of Hindus, about the insensitivity of the state?”
– Apoorvanand, Academic and Writer
IAMC in Action
- 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!
