South Asia on the Brink: Hindutva Fascism Threatens Regional Peace

Since Narendra Modi assumed power, India has been moving at an alarming speed towards an aggressive form of authoritarian rule rooted in extremist Hindutva ideology. What was once projected as the world’s largest democracy is now showing all the signs of a state captured by a single political agenda. Pluralism is under attack, dissent is treated as a crime, and the ruling party has bent state institutions to serve its own political ends.

Systematic Hindutva Expansion in IIOJK and Across India’s Minority Heartlands

Nowhere is this agenda more visible than in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The Modi government has taken deliberate steps to alter the region’s political, social, and demographic character. The revocation of its special status on August 5, 2019 was not a sudden act but a planned assault on the Muslim identity of IIOJK. Settler schemes, land seizures, and the removal of local protections are being enforced with the clear aim of changing the population balance. Across India, the same policy of marginalisation is being applied to other minority communities.

India Turns Hostile for Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, and Oppressed Castes

Under Modi, India has become increasingly unsafe for Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, and oppressed Hindu castes. Mob attacks have become common, with Muslims lynched on fabricated charges, churches vandalised, and mosques desecrated. Ruling party leaders and their affiliates openly deliver hate speeches that incite violence, yet face no action. The state’s silence is not neglect; it is endorsement.

Ruling Through Fear, Repression, and Legal Intimidation

Fear has become the main tool of governance. In IIOJK, the population lives under curfews, raids, and arbitrary arrests. In the rest of India, those who question the government face tax raids, police cases, or long legal battles. Harsh laws such as the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act are used to detain political opponents, journalists, and activists without trial. This is the use of the state’s power to silence resistance.

Total Suppression of Dissent and Freedom of Expression

The Hindutva regime leaves no space for dissent. Student leaders are jailed for peaceful protest, journalists are harassed through false cases, and citizens critical of the government are targeted both online and in courts. Freedom of expression is treated as a threat to national security. The attack is not only on individuals but on the very idea of open political debate.

State Institutions Turned Into Weapons of Political Control

National agencies including the Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation, and National Investigation Agency have been reduced to political weapons. Opposition leaders are targeted through selective investigations, while allies of the ruling party enjoy complete protection. The judiciary delays justice for those wronged and upholds measures that tighten the government’s grip. This is the deliberate use of state machinery to weaken democracy from within.

Unprecedented Surge in Persecution Since BJP Took Power

The rise in persecution since the BJP came to power is alarming. Rights groups report a steep increase in hate crimes, forced displacements, and economic boycotts aimed at minorities. Discriminatory laws such as the Citizenship Amendment Act directly target Muslims, while BJP-run states impose restrictions on religious gatherings and traditions of minorities. This is not about governance; it is about erasing identities and enforcing submission.

Driving India Towards a Hindu Rashtra Through Law and Force

At the core of Modi’s politics lies the idea of a Hindu Rashtra, a state defined not by constitutional equality but by the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. In IIOJK, this vision is being enforced through settler policies, the sidelining of local leadership, and the rewriting of history to suit the Hindutva narrative. Across India, it is advanced through changes in textbooks, renaming of cities, and the redefinition of citizenship along religious lines.

Hindutva Extremism as a Direct Threat to South Asian Peace and Stability

This extremist agenda is not only an internal matter. The repression in IIOJK, the military build-up along the Line of Control, and the constant use of anti-Pakistan rhetoric are deliberate attempts to raise tensions. A government that sustains itself through division will always seek conflict, and this makes Modi’s India a direct threat to regional stability and peace.

Global Silence and the Complicity of Strategic Interests

Despite the growing proof of state-backed persecution, the response of the international community has been weak. Strategic interests, trade ties, and the image of India as a counterweight to China have overshadowed the reality on the ground. This silence is not neutrality; it is complicity in the suffering of millions.

Recognising the Reality: India Has Crossed the Line Into Fascism

The pattern is clear: personality cult around the leader, persecution of minorities, capture of institutions, and the merging of religion with state power. These are the signs of fascism. India has crossed that line, and the world must have the moral courage to call it by its name.

Global Duty to Confront India’s Oppression in IIOJK and Beyond

The oppression in India and IIOJK is a violation of international law and multiple United Nations resolutions. It is not an internal matter but a global concern. The world must demand independent investigations, apply diplomatic pressure, and hold the Indian government accountable for its actions. Ignoring this reality will encourage other regimes to follow the same path.

Urgent Call for Action Before It Is Too Late

India under Modi is dismantling democracy, silencing voices, rewriting history, and targeting its minorities with persistence and precision. In IIOJK, the occupation is visible in every street and every checkpoint; in the rest of India, it is embedded in laws, institutions, and public life. Both are products of the same extremist project.

The choice before the world is urgent: confront this slide into fascism now or face the consequences of a deeper crisis that will engulf the region. For the people of IIOJK and for all oppressed communities in India, time is running out. This is the largest organised assault on democracy and human rights in South Asia today. The world must act immediately to hold India accountable for its crimes.