Advocacy groups warn of growing repression in India

EU leaders urged to confront BJP government's assault on institutions, dissent, and minorities during upcoming visit

KARACHI:

As the European Commission president prepares for her visit to New Delhi, leading advocacy groups are sounding the alarm. They warn that in its pursuit of stronger diplomatic ties, Brussels must not turn a blind eye to a decade-long assault on civil liberties, press freedom, and religious minorities under Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party government.

In a letter to the College of Commissioners and Ursula von der Leyen, a dozen rights organizations — including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, and Reporters Without Borders — express concern over Modi's Hindu nationalist government's erosion of democratic institutions, suppression of dissent, and persecution of minorities with growing impunity. The timing of these concerns is significant—the letter, landing on von der Leyen's desk just days before her rare visit to India, follows her remarks at the World Economic Forum weeks earlier, where she spoke of deepening EU-India ties.

While it raises concerns about violations that have persisted throughout the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) three terms in power, Claudio Francavilla, Associate Director for EU Advocacy at Human Rights Watch (HRW), expressed alarm over the EU's failure to address these issues directly. "We have reasons to be concerned," he said, highlighting that the EU has never publicly raised human rights concerns regarding India, aside from the European Parliament and a few statements from the former EU Special Representative for Human Rights.

Francavilla, who recently shared his concerns with the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights, emphasized that under President von der Leyen's leadership, human rights have slipped lower on the EU's agenda. Still, he reminded that the EU must adhere to its treaty obligations. "That doesn't erase Article 21 of the EU Treaty, which binds the bloc to promote human rights and international law in its foreign policy," he said. "A non-democratic, increasingly authoritarian India would not be in the EU's strategic interest, and we encourage the EU to do all it can to address Modi's authoritarian drift," he added.

He also pointed to stalled negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), which have been delayed due to India's reluctance to include binding human rights language. "The EU cannot give up on its standard practice," Francavilla cautioned. "The FTA could become a meaningful tool for human rights progress if designed and implemented correctly."

Weaponized laws

In their three-page submission, human rights defenders accuse the Indian government of weaponizing federal laws to target political opponents and civil society organizations, often under the guise of financial misconduct charges. They specifically highlight the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), an anti-terror law that has been used to detain activists, journalists, and academics. Rights groups also claim that hate speech from government officials and ruling party figures has fueled violence against marginalized communities, while authorities fail to hold perpetrators accountable.

This growing concern has caught the attention of international bodies. Last year, the United Nations Human Rights Committee called for a review of these laws, and the Financial Action Task Force urged India to ensure counterterrorism measures aren't used to suppress NGOs.

Under the BJP government, India has increasingly relied on counterterrorism and anti-money laundering laws to curb the activities of human rights groups. Amnesty International, for example, was forced to shut down its operations in 2020 after its accounts were frozen over alleged violations of foreign funding regulations. Laws like the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act have severely restricted civil society's access to international funding.

Aakar Patel, former head of Amnesty India and now chair of its board, told The Express Tribune that the Indian government generally views any criticism of its human rights record negatively. "There is not much international attention to what has been going on here," he said. On the efficacy of the joint letter sent to the European Commission, Patel remarked, "Raising specific issues is always helpful. While its effectiveness is hard to gauge, it likely falls somewhere between completely effective and totally ineffective."

Repression of minorities

The Modi administration has come under criticism for its treatment of religious minorities, with the Citizenship Amendment Act, which came into force in March 2024, seen as discriminatory against India's 200 million Muslims. The law, combined with the proposed National Register of Citizens, has raised fears of disenfranchisement for Muslims. Additionally, anti-conversion laws in 10 states have been used to target Christians, particularly those from Dalit and Adivasi communities, emboldening vigilante groups. Muslim-owned properties have also been demolished in what BJP-led state governments call 'law enforcement actions,' a practice recently condemned by India's Supreme Court.

Kiri Kankhwende, Press and Public Affairs Team Leader at Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), notes that this persecution has been growing for over a decade. "Religious minorities have faced increasing pressure from both state and non-state actors promoting Hindutva, a form of Hindu nationalism," she said. Hindutva adherents view religious minorities as threats to the majority, often portraying Christianity and Islam as foreign imports. Dalits who follow these religions, she explained, face additional marginalization due to caste discrimination. CSW reports that attacks on minorities, particularly Christians, have sharply increased, with documented cases rising from 127 in 2014 to 834 in 2024.

Kankhwende also highlighted the rise in hate speech and calls for violence against minorities, often incited by state officials or religious leaders, and amplified on open platforms and social media. She added that minorities have been frequently targeted during election campaigns with false narratives and business boycotts. In many cases, she noted, perpetrators are shielded from investigation, with tacit approval from officials.

The CSW spokesperson cautioned that India, once known for its cultural and religious diversity, is increasingly defined by majoritarianism. Hindu nationalism, embedded in political rhetoric, she explained, grants one religion exclusive status while pushing minorities to the margins. Despite constitutional guarantees of religious freedom, she said, the space for minority communities to practice their faith is steadily shrinking. "Religious minorities are being forced into fear and submission," she said. If these trends continue, Kankhwende warned, India risks losing the pluralism that defined its independence movement.

Kashmir, surveillance and dissent

In the Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir, where the BJP government revoked the region's autonomy in 2019, advocacy groups noted that journalists and activists have faced repeated arrests and restrictions on their movement. Meanwhile, in Manipur, a northeastern state that has witnessed over 20 months of ethnic violence, more than 250 people have been killed since 2023. Detailing India's democratic backsliding, the letter from advocacy groups brings to the European Commission's President's notice that the federal and state governments have failed to restore peace or hold those responsible for the violence accountable.

According to rights organizations, the BJP government has also used technology to suppress dissent. The country, they noted, leads the world in internet shutdowns, frequently imposing blackouts during protests or times of unrest. The government's surveillance capabilities have expanded through the Personal Data Protection Act and the Information Technology Act, which allow authorities to monitor citizens and restrict online content. In addition, they raised concerns over reports indicating that India has used Pegasus, the spyware produced by the Israel-based company NSO Group, to surveil activists and political opponents.

Assassinations, foreign media, and diaspora

The letter also raises concerns about India's actions beyond its borders. In October 2024, Canada accused Indian agents of orchestrating the assassinations of dissidents whom the Modi administration brands as separatists and terrorism suspects on Canadian soil. Similar allegations have surfaced in the United States, where an Indian government employee has been charged over a failed plot to kill a prominent Sikh advocate in New York, and in Pakistan, where Indian intelligence has been linked to multiple assassinations. Advocacy groups say these cases have intensified scrutiny of India's covert operations abroad. Meanwhile, Indian authorities have reportedly moved against foreign journalists and critics in the diaspora by revoking visas and denying entry.

Demands from advocacy groups

Toward its conclusion, the document—backed by 12 prominent advocacy organizations—issues a sharp warning about the European Union's hesitation to confront what they call a rapidly escalating human rights crisis in India. Despite previous challenges in holding India accountable for democratic backsliding, these rights groups are now urging European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to adopt a firmer, more consistent approach. They warn that Brussels must not allow strategic interests to overshadow fundamental human rights in its dealings with New Delhi.

"Such discussions should not be reduced to 'box-ticking exercises'," stressed HRW's Francavilla. He criticized the EU's sporadic and narrow focus on rights issues, which he believes fails to address the scale of repression in India, particularly against minorities, peaceful critics, and human rights defenders.

While acknowledging that the EU has faced its own share of criticism over human rights, Francavilla emphasized that this should not prevent Brussels from calling out abuses elsewhere. "You need not be perfect to raise human rights concerns, and a mature relationship with India—between two of the world's biggest 'democracies'—should allow space for reciprocal scrutiny, including in public."

For the European Commissioners and President von der Leyen, who arrive in New Delhi on February 27, the message is unvarnished – push Indian authorities to release jailed human rights defenders and peaceful critics, amend or repeal laws restricting free expression and assembly, and end discriminatory policies against religious minorities.

The letter concludes with a call for greater accountability, urging India to implement recommendations from international human rights bodies, including the UN Human Rights Committee and the Universal Periodic Review. Without clear benchmarks for progress, the groups warn, the EU risks legitimizing India's increasingly authoritarian government at the expense of fundamental rights. They stress that human rights must be central to Brussels' relationship with India, rather than an afterthought in diplomatic discussions.

Kankhwende, from CSW, noted that while India maintains institutions designed to uphold the rule of law, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it is beginning to resemble an elected autocracy. "CSW, alongside other NGOs, will continue to call on the EU to hold India to account for human rights violations," she added.