India on Track for Worst Year of Anti-Muslim Violence, New Report Says
India on Track for Worst Year of Anti-Muslim Violence, New Report Says
———————————————-
A new report by the South Asia Justice Campaign’s India Persecution Tracker reveals that at least 44 Muslims have been killed in India since the start of 2026, putting the year on track to become the deadliest since documentation began in 2022. The findings highlight mounting pressures on India’s Muslim minority from both state actions and Hindu extremist groups.
A new report published by the South Asia Justice Campaign’s India Persecution Tracker warns that 2026 is on course to become the deadliest year for anti-Muslim violence in India since the organization began tracking such incidents in 2022. According to the findings, at least 44 Muslims have been killed across the country since the start of the year, with 19 deaths attributed to state actors—primarily police and security forces—and 25 resulting from religiously motivated attacks by Hindu extremist assailants.
The report paints a complex picture of a community facing sustained pressure from both government institutions and extremist groups. Between May and July alone, 25 fatalities were documented, including those of an 11-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy. Beyond physical violence, the tracker highlights what it calls a full repertoire of state-backed coercion, including mass arrests, custodial deaths, and the widespread demolition of Muslim homes, businesses, and religious structures. More than 3,000 such structures have reportedly been bulldozed since January. While authorities frequently defend demolitions as measures against illegal construction or criminal suspects, critics argue the practice bypasses due process and is applied selectively.
Regional flashpoints feature prominently in the findings. In Indian-administered Kashmir, security forces detained over 2,500 people within 48 hours following a militant attack in July. Meanwhile, in West Bengal, a shifting political landscape following a major electoral victory for the BJP has brought heightened tensions, targeted attacks on mosques, and controversial government measures including welfare cuts, madrasa surveillance, and the removal of communities from backward-classes reservation lists. Similar concerns over citizenship, due process, and the rhetoric surrounding “infiltrators” have been raised in Assam, where authorities continue contentious border pushback policies.
The report also points to an expanding legal framework—including newly enacted Uniform Civil Codes and laws penalizing the alleged insult of national symbols—that critics argue undermines personal laws and protections for minorities. Despite documenting a rare judicial milestone in which 14 cow vigilantes were sentenced to life imprisonment for a lynching, the study emphasizes pervasive systemic impunity, citing long-delayed justice in historical cases and a lack of accountability in newer investigations.
International rights organizations and United Nations bodies have voiced increasing concern over these trends. Conversely, the Indian government consistently rejects allegations of discrimination, maintaining that its law enforcement and administrative actions are strictly aimed at addressing security concerns and unlawful activity rather than targeting any specific religious community.
