INDIA

The Republic of India has stood on secular principles that aim to provide equal protection to all religious and ethnic groups. 2014 marked a major shift when Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) became the ruling part of India, bringing right-wing Hindu nationalism into the mainstream. In conjunction with the BJP, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) organization, a closely-affiliated paramilitary group, has worked systematically to shift India from a secular country to a nation that promotes Hindutva. The BJP’s embrace of Hindutva ideals and RSS ideology has provided political patronage and justification for violence and intolerance, and, as a result, equal protection for Muslims under the law has suffered. Genocide Watch has outlined that India is showing early “signs and processes” of genocide, specifically within the state of Assam and Indian-administered Kashmir. 

Emgage Action and our partnering organizations are dedicated to holding the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India accountable for their hostilities and dangerous rhetoric against religious and ethnic minorities.

In previous sessions of Congress, Emgage Action supported the passage of H.RES.1196: Condemning human rights violations and violations of international religious freedom in India, including those targeting Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, Adivasis, and other religious and cultural minorities. The bill was introduced in June 2022 by Congress members Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Juan Vargas, and Jim McGovern.