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

This Week at a Glance 

This week, five anti-CAA activists were released after more than 2,000 days in jail, but the Supreme Court denied bail to political prisoners Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. Demolition drives were carried out in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal, near Delhi’s historic Faiz-e-Elahi Mosque, and in Assam’s Sonitpur, where over 1,200 Bengali Muslim homes were razed. Reports of brutal mob assaults on Muslim men over baseless “beef” and “illegal immigrant” allegations emerged from Rajasthan, Tripura, and Bihar. Opposition parties warned that proposed voter deletions affecting nearly 28 million people in Uttar Pradesh could amount to mass disenfranchisement. On the US front, IAMC held a briefing featuring global interfaith activists to condemn Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s hate crime against a niqabi doctor. This week, we announced a webinar on the crisis of judicial accountability in light of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam’s extended detention.

 

Top Stories

Five Anti-CAA Activists Walk Out of Jail After Over 2000 days, Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid Denied Bail

Five activists who protested against an anti-Muslim citizenship law in 2020, Gulfisha Fatima, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan, Meeran Haider, and Shadab Ahmed were granted bail by the Supreme Court of India, after spending over 2,000 days in custody as undertrial prisoners. However, the Supreme Court denied bail to prominent anti-CAA activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.

 

 

 

Demolition Drives Carried Out in Delhi, Assam and Uttar Pradesh

Officials in Delhi carried out a demolition drive near the century-old Faiz-e-Elahi Mosque in Delhi’s Turkman Gate area and used tear gas and batons against residents protesting the demolition. Meanwhile in Assam’s Sontipur, around 1,200 homes of Bengali Muslim families were demolished in an eviction drive, and in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal, government bulldozers flattened a mosque and a madrasa.

 

 

 

 

Muslim Men Brutally Assaulted by Hindu Extremist Mobs Over Baseless Allegations

A group of assailants brutally assaulted an elderly man in Jhalawar, Rajasthan after accusing him of eating beef and branding him a “Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrator.” In Agartala, Tripura, a group of assailants assaulted a Muslim rickshaw puller, buried him in sand, and tried to set him on fire in a brutal attempt to kill him. In Madhubani, Bihar, a Muslim labourer was assaulted after being labelled a “Bangladeshi”, leaving him severely injured.

 

 

Opposition Flags Mass Disenfranchisement as around 28 Million Voters Face Deletion

The publication of the Uttar Pradesh Special Intensive Revision (SIR) draft electoral roll, which proposes the deletion of around 28 million voters – nearly 19 per cent of the state’s electorate. Opposition parties have labeled the move an attempt at large-scale disenfranchisement.

 

 

Hate crimes and discrimination in India

This week, six Hindu militants from the Bajrang who were arrested for vandalizing Christmas decorations in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur, received a “hero’s welcome” after they were granted bail. The National Medical Commission withdrew approval for a medical institute in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi to run its MBBS course, weeks after the campus witnessed protests by Hindu extremists triggered by the institute’s admission list, which included an overwhelming number of Muslim students. Police in Jammu and Kashmir initiated an inquiry against a Kashmiri cricketer merely for sporting a Palestinian flag on his helmet during a private cricket tournament. Meanwhile, police across several districts of south and north Kashmir have identified and taken preventive action against individuals found using Virtual Private Network (VPN) services, following prohibitory orders.

 

Resistance & Organizing

Preventive Detention Laws Are ‘Draconian’, Says Madras High Court

More than 500 students gathered inside the Jamia Millia Islamia university to commemorate the anniversary of the December 15, 2019 violence, when police and paramilitary forces entered Jamia’s campus, fired tear gas, beat students and vandalised property. The crackdown left several students grievously injured, with at least one losing his eyesight permanently. Students marked December 15 as a “Resistance Day,” emphasising that the memory of the violence continues to shape political consciousness on campus.

 

 

 

 

Defenders of the Week

This week, we’re spotlighting activists Srishthi Khanna and Prashant Pundir for standing their ground after facing coordinated doxxing, rape and death threats, and harassment over a video they shared online. The reel, which critically examined India’s growing political and military ties with Israel and the shrinking space for pro-Palestine solidarity, was deliberately misrepresented by right-wing influencers and portals, triggering a wave of abuse, misinformation, and the leaking of their personal details. However, they have refused to back down and are pursuing legal remedies against the harassment.

 

Voices from the Ground 

“Heartening to see Gul, Meeran bhai, Saleem Khan, and Shifa ur Rehman walk out of jail. We hope Shadab joins them today.

 

Sharjeel, Umar, Khalid Saifi, Athar, Tahir Hussain, Salim Malik, and Tasleem must also be granted bail. They are not “conspirators.” They are the champions of a movement that stood for dignity, justice, and constitutional values.

 

The real conspiracy lies in framing them, incarcerating them, and silencing dissent. It is the state that stands accused here.”

 

–  Aysha Renna N, Anti-CAA activist

IAMC in Action

• In light of the Supreme Court’s denial of bail to prisoners of conscience Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, IAMC is bringing together a panel of international experts for a webinar on Friday, January 9 at 11am EST on the crisis of judicial accountability in India. Register now here.  
• In December, we held an online event bringing together activists from the Muslim, Hindu, and Christian communities to speak out against the targeting of Muslim women in India, in light of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s hate crime against a niqabi doctor. You can watch the full briefing here.

What to Watch Next Week

• Our upcoming 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. It’ll be released next week, so be sure to watch or stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.