The report of London School of Economics and Political Science is based on case study and fieldwork research in Ramnagara, Tumkur, Bengaluru, Barwani, Indore, Garhwa, Rampur, Kandhamal among others in the states of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Odisha respectively.
The research presented in this report was conducted during February and March 2021 by a research team trained in ethnographic data collection, trauma-informed interviewing, and visual analysis in line with full Covid-19 regulations and ethical frameworks of the British Sociological Association.
Data was generated and collected through observations in localities where there had been reported incidents of anti-Christian or anti-Muslim violence. There are seven case studies in the report: Christians in Karnataka, Christians in Madhya Pradesh, Christians in Jharkhand, Christians in Odisha and Muslims in Madhya Pradesh.
The report says “since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the elections in 2014 to become the ruling party in power at the Centre (while some state governments remain with the Congress and its allies or other regional parties), there has been an unspoken yet tangible (i.e. qualitative and quantitative) shift in the public sphere and in the individual consciousness of citizens towards a discriminatory consensus. This discriminatory consensus involves the assertion of a violent, bigoted, casteist, Hindu chauvinist and male chauvinist ideology commonly referred to as Hindutva.”
The report says, Hindutva leaders at various levels and in several different organizations from the RSS to the ABVP engage in a competitive, vicious, and spiralling cycle to instigate increasingly horrifying and spectacular acts of violence against Christians and Muslims.
Ajay Bisht, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh has been the most aggressive of the Hindutva leaders (balancing the soft developmental discourse from Prime Minister Modi), regularly making statements against Muslims, and encouraging religious vigilantism against Muslims.
A policeman was also overheard saying “Aadhar card itna fast nahi banta jitni fast muslim marte hain.” (Muslims are dying faster than Aadhaar cards can be made).
The report made seven recommendations to the international community and international financial organizations:
#The international community should immediately convene an international fact-finding commission of violence and other human rights violations against religious minorities in India.
#The international community should compile an exhaustive database of violence, discrimination, and other human rights violations against minorities in India including disinformation on Social Media Platforms.
#The international community should urgently censure far-right Hindutva state and non-state actors in India who play a role in encouraging violence and discrimination against Christians and Muslims.
#All international financial organizations and international private investors who provide loans to or do business with the Indian government should take cognizance of the status of ongoing human rights violations, including pogroms and mob violence, against Christians, Muslims and other religious minorities in India.
#All international financial organizations and international private investors should link business and investment opportunities to the respect of the human rights of all Indians, including the inalienable right to hold, change and practice a religion or belief.
# Any Indian politician or member of the police force and judiciary found to have colluded in anti-Christian and/or anti-Muslim pogroms, lynching, incitement, violence and other human rights violations should be brought to justice by both national and international law enforcement agencies, tried and held accountable.
