The attack was “driven by an objective of provoking communal discord,” said India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, following the April 22 killing of 26 Hindu tourists in Jammu and Kashmir. “[T]hese designs were foiled,” he said, by the people of India. During the four-day armed conflict between India and Pakistan that ensued after India retaliated by targeting militant groups allegedly harbored in Pakistan, Indian officials sought to present a public image of a united and diverse India. Misri led the media briefings together with two female military officers, one of them Col. Sofia Qureshi, a Muslim.
These public displays of communal harmony, however, were marred by hate speech targeting Muslims, including by some leaders of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Officials ignored the threat to the Muslim population while some sought criminal action against those speaking out about security failures by the government.
On May 18, Haryana state police arrested a prominent Muslim academic, Ali Khan Mahmudabad, accusing him of endangering unity and sovereignty and hurting religious sentiments. In his posts on Facebook, Mahmudabad had raised concerns over the war’s human cost and highlighted the apparent irony of Hindu nationalists praising Colonel Qureshi, a Muslim, even as other Muslims remained “victims of the BJP’s hate mongering.”
Meanwhile, the authorities did not respond to remarks made by BJP Minister Vijay Shah, who called Colonel Qureshi a “terrorist’s sister.” The authorities only filed a complaint against Shah after the courts intervened. Both Shah and Mahmudabad, who was granted bail on May 21, now face some of the same legal charges.
The BJP’s recurrent use of hate speech against Muslims and other minorities has enabled and encouraged its supporters. They viciously trolled two women who lost relatives in the Kashmir attack when they appealed for peace and warned against the targeting of Indian Muslims. Even the foreign secretary wasn’t spared, being forced to lock his X account after being attacked online following the announcement of a ceasefire.
Since the Kashmir attack, there has been a proliferation of misinformation and disinformation in both India and Pakistan. The Indian government made some efforts to counter misinformation apparently originating in Pakistan but has done little to challenge the divisive campaigns being waged by mainstream Indian broadcasters. At the same time, the authorities briefly blocked some independent media outlets and commentators and filed cases against satirists.
The Indian authorities should practice what they preach. If they want to show the world that India is diverse and united, it should demonstrate this by ensuring that everyone can enjoy their fundamental freedoms, regardless of their faith.
