Modi government’s actions belittling constitutional values opened up space for opposition parties to revive the struggle to protect the Constitution.
India Hate Lab (IHL), a Washington-based research group, has documented around 668 instances of hate speech in 2023 that targeted Muslims. Almost 75 per cent of these took place in BJP-ruled States, with Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh topping the list. Uttar Pradesh also has recorded the highest number of atrocities against Dalits, according to the National Crimes Record Bureau’s report of 2022. According to Human Rights Watch’s report of 2019, between 2015 and 2018 around 44 people were killed, including 36 Muslims, in the name of cow protection. The IHL report also highlighted that the Hamas attack on Israel was used as a pretext to fuel fear and animosity towards Indian Muslims, where between October and December 2023, 41 hate speeches were delivered (32 in BJP-ruled States) to target and project Muslims as inherently violent.