Muslim-owned shops bulldozed in Chhattisgarh soon after BJP electoral win

In Raipur, Chattisgarh, few days after the far-right Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won state elections, officials on directions of BJP lawmaker Brijmohan Agarwal, bulldozed predominantly Muslim-owned shops over vague allegations of encroachment.

The BJP’s election rallies across the state saw top leaders, including state and federal ministers, giving anti-Muslim hate speeches that included slurs, propaganda claims, and conspiracy theories. 

Far-right Hindu group calls for targeting mosques in Mathura, Varanasi

Just three days before the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Mosque, which was razed by a mob of 150,000 Hindu militants on December 6, 1992, the Hindu extremist group Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) organized an anti-Muslim hate speech rally in BJP-ruled Uttarakhand’s Haridwar city. At the event, hundreds of Hindu extremists raised slogans calling for the demolition of centuries-old mosques in the cities of Mathura and Varanasi. 

Rise in cases registered under draconian anti-terror law, highest in Kashmir

India’s draconian anti-terror law, the heavily criticized Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), has seen a 23% rise in cases from previous years, according to the newly released data from the government. While 814 UAPA cases were lodged in 2021, the number of cases filed as “offenses against the state” reached 1,005 last year as the Modi government has cracked down on civil society, freedom of expression, and dissent. 

Muslim-majority Kashmir reported the largest number of cases filed under the UAPA, where wanton arrest of civilians, including human rights defenders and journalists, is commonplace.