New Delhi: A gathering of prominent social and human rights activists, lawyers, journalists, academicians, and political leaders was held at Jawahar Bhawan here Saturday to discuss the growing challenges faced by religious minorities in India, particularly Muslims and Christians. The event, organized by ANHAD and the United Christian Forum, focused on the theme “The Quest for Equality and Justice,” examining the current status of these communities in contemporary India. The program also paid tribute to Sitaram Yechury, recognizing his lifelong dedication to promoting equality and justice. John Dayal, a veteran human rights defender, was the first speaker to honor Yechury. Dayal highlighted Yechury’s major contributions during his 12 years in the Rajya Sabha, where he advocated for religious minorities, especially Muslims and Christians. He pointed out that under both the first NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the current Modi regime, the laws and actions taken by the BJP were designed to target both religious minorities simultaneously. Dayal drew attention to the weaponization of anti-conversion laws and the Uniform Civil Code, emphasizing how these measures have been used to suppress Christians and Muslims alike. Dr. Dayal also reflected on the misuse of bulldozers as a tool of intimidation. While initially

NEW DELHI: At least 33 people have been arrested by Indian police after fresh ethnic violence rocked the northeastern state of Manipur, where the authorities have imposed a curfew and blacked out the internet. Violence broke out in May this year between the majority Hindu Meiteis and the mainly Christian Kuki tribe. At least 200 people have been killed in the resultant ethnic conflict so far. Fighting of late has been particularly intense, with at least 11 reportedly killed in the latest round of violence. The conflict has seen increased rocket fire and bombs dropped from drones, described by police reports as a “significant escalation”. Following the violence, Manipur Police said that 33 people and seven juveniles have been detained in jail. The state authorities have enforced a shutdown of internet services in different areas, similar to the prolonged shutdown last year. A curfew has also been imposed. Hundreds of protesters defied the curfew imposed by the authorities in the state capital, Imphal, demanding action against Kuki insurgent groups, whom they blame for the recent attacks. Grounds of ethnic tensions lie in the long-running disputes over land and jobs in the public sector between Meitei and Kuki communities. And critics say that local

The Congress-led Karnataka government is yet to take a clear stance on whether Dalits who have converted to Christianity or Islam should receive the same reservation benefits as Scheduled Castes (SCs). This issue has recently come under scrutiny during a two-day meeting led by the Justice K.G. Balakrishnan Commission, which was held recently in the state to gather feedback on social welfare policies. A senior official from the Social Welfare Department has disclosed that the government remains “uncommitted” regarding the extension of SC benefits to Dalit converts. The official stated, “Karnataka can refrain from taking a stand on the issue as Dalit converts already fall under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.” This position reflects the current policy, where Dalit Christians and Muslims benefit from reservations under the OBC category. At present, Karnataka provides a 4% reservation for Dalit Christians under Category 2-B. Dalit Muslims can access benefits through 17 Muslim communities listed in Category-1 and 19 communities in Category 2-A. Christians and Jains are classified under Category 3-B. The state has been cautious about modifying these categories, noting that states like Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have already granted SC reservation to Dalit converts. “There is a debate at the government level

A pastor and several members of his church were beaten on Sunday as Hindu nationalists attacked a worship service in Odisha on Sunday, accusing the church of forcefully converting Hindus to Christianity. Those who conducted the attack in the city of Bhubaneswar included members of the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS), the self-avowed protector of the Hindu religion, and Bajrang Dal, an RSS offshoot that is prone to violent attacks on minority communities. According to reports, the church had recently rented a three-story building to conduct its worship services. After the RSS and Bajrang Dal learned that more than 100 people were attending the church’s services, they decided to attack the church and make false allegations of forced conversions. Police arrived at the church and took some people, including Christians, to the police station for questioning. Members of the two Hindu nationalist organizations surrounded the police station in protest of the Christians. The situation only calmed down after a leader of the police arrived. Anti-conversion laws are increasingly used against churches and individual Christians throughout India. Meanwhile, another large Hindu gathering, or Hindu Mahasabha, has been announced in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district. The event follows on the heels of another large gathering commemorating the 18th anniversary

According to the Times of India, Uttar Pradesh arrested 1,682 under its strict anti-conversion law and has registered 835 cases – mainly against Christians. And Uttar Pradesh is moving to tighten that law. A new bill increases the maximum penalty for fraudulent or forced conversion to 20 years with provision for life imprisonment. Some 12 states in India have now passed anti conversion laws, reflecting the rise in Hindu religious nationalism and accompanying intolerance in the country. Intolerance rising Intolerance against Christians has been growing since the election of the nationalist BJP government in 2014. The party’s re-election in June has strengthened the hand of Hindu militants, and it is BJP-governed states that are leading the anti-conversion charge. The Religious Liberty Commission of the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) recorded a record 601 cases of persecution against Christians in India last year – a rise of 45 per cent. They say 440 pastors were arrested in 2023. And in the first six months of 2024 there were 361 attacks against Christians, according to India’s United Christian Forum (UCF). The growing Hindutva nationalist movement aims to keep India a Hindu nation and to prevent Hindus from converting to Islam or Christianity. These spreading anti-conversion laws are a one-way street.

The problem with “fascism” as a description of any modern political tendency is that the term is a weapon of mass destruction that flattens the landscapes that it wants to describe. Fascism is so freighted with historically specific meaning that using it for other times and places can seem sloppy and excessive. And yet, juxtaposing the politics of contemporary south Asia with fascism, in its Nazi variant, serves a double purpose: it connects modern Indian majoritarianism with one of its ideological ancestors and it helps us name and identify the ideological kernel of fascism that survived to fight another day. India’s ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) is the political arm of a Hindu militia, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), founded in 1925, around the time Adolf Hitler began to find his political bearings in a routed, angry Germany. The RSS is a nationalist militia that defines India as a Hindu nation; only Hindus can be members. While there are many similarities between the RSS and the fascist paramilitary organisations of the prewar decades, from uniformed drills and distinctive salutes to a persistent anxiety about masculinity, at the core of both is a feral ethnic nationalism that aims to mobilise

Bengaluru: The first public consultation in Karnataka by the Justice K G Balakrishnan Commission received an overwhelming opinion on Tuesday that Scheduled Caste (SC) benefits should not be given to Dalits who convert to religions other than Indian-origin faiths of Buddhism and Sikhism. About 100 members took part in the public hearing, of which nearly 95 per cent raised their hands against reservation. Members of various Dalit associations, Banjara pontiffs, Basavamurthy Madara Chennaiah Swami of Madara Guru Peetha, Chitradurga and BJP leaders appeared before the Commission to express their views. Arguing in favour of reservation, writer and Dalit activist Cynthia Stephen said Dalit Christians must get reservation as they were seen as untouchables despite conversion. The Dalit Christian Federation, in its petition, argued that when religion was not the criteria to provide reservation, Dalit Christians should not be denied the benefit. Making his submission, Banjara Guru Peetha seer Sardar Sevalal Swami said that the Commission should not recommend in favour of those who converted to religions born outside India as these religions had no roots in Indian ethos or culture. BJP SC Morcha president and Sakleshpur MLA Cement Manjunath claimed that Christians had lured SC people to convert and they were still being ill-treated there. “This is