Rights Groups Warn of Escalating Persecution of Muslims Under Modi’s Government in India

Rights Groups Warn of Escalating Persecution of Muslims Under Modi’s Government in India
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Human rights organizations have raised alarm over what they describe as unprecedented levels of persecution targeting Muslims in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. International rights groups report a sharp rise in abuses against religious minorities, including mosque demolitions and an increase in hate-motivated killings, alongside broader concerns about what they call India’s ongoing democratic decline.

According to the 2025 Democracy Report issued by the V-Dem Institute, India has entered its ninth consecutive year classified as an “electoral autocracy,” citing diminishing freedom of expression and growing hate speech directed at minority communities. Rights advocates argue that stringent laws such as the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the National Security Act (NSA) have been misused to detain critics and silence Muslim activists.

A recent report by the Indian human rights NGO APCR recorded 947 hate crimes during the first year of Modi’s third term, with Muslims forming the majority of victims. Twenty-five of the incidents involved fatalities, all of whom were Muslim. Multiple reports also document the demolition of Muslim homes, businesses, and places of worship under so-called anti-encroachment drives, which rights groups say disproportionately target religious minorities.

India was labeled a “high-risk” country in the 2025 Global Torture Index. Research by the organization Common Cause indicates that Muslims, along with Dalits and Adivasis, are among the groups most vulnerable to torture and deaths in police custody. In Manipur and Ladakh, regions marked by ethnic and religious unrest, international bodies have reported the use of lethal force, mass detentions, internet shutdowns, and civil rights violations.

The conflict in Manipur alone has resulted in more than 260 deaths and displaced around 60,000 people, according to Human Rights Watch. India also faces scrutiny abroad over allegations of extraterritorial repression, including an attempted assassination of Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States and related court rulings in North America implicating Indian intelligence officials.