Homes Burned and Lives Shattered: Indian Muslims Trapped Between State Power and Hindu Extremism

The persecution of Muslims in India has become one of the gravest human rights crises in South Asia. With over 200 million Muslims, constituting about 14% of India’s population, this religious minority has faced an alarming rise in Islamophobic violence, systematic discrimination, and targeted state repression under the shadow of rising Hindu nationalism.

A recent and chilling example is the Haryana riots that erupted in July 2023. What began as a communal provocation by a Hindu nationalist group in the Muslim-majority district of Nuh quickly spiraled into deadly sectarian violence — aided, ignored, or actively supported by state authorities.

Provocation, Violence, and the Collapse of Law

On July 31, 2023, members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) — a radical Hindu nationalist organisation — marched through Nuh in what they called a “religious procession.” But loud slogans, blaring music, and inflammatory rhetoric — including participation by a suspect wanted for the lynching of two Muslim men — turned the march into a deliberate provocation.

Tensions exploded. Clashes broke out between Hindus and Muslims, involving stones, clubs, and firearms. Police failed to control the mob. Two police officers and three civilians were killed, dozens were injured, and shops, vehicles, and homes were torched. The violence spread to Gurugram, Faridabad, and Palwal, near Delhi, prompting curfews, internet shutdowns, and deployment of paramilitary forces.

State Retaliation: Demolitions as Collective Punishment

In the aftermath, the Haryana state government demolished over 300 Muslim-owned homes and businesses in Nuh — under the pretext of “illegal encroachments” or alleged links to the riots. Locals rejected these claims, calling it collective punishment targeting a community that makes up 77% of Nuh’s population.

No legal notices were served. No court orders issued. Families with legitimate documentation were left homeless overnight, stripped of their livelihoods, and publicly humiliated. These demolitions were not about law and order — they were state-backed retribution against Muslims.

Targeted Arson, Mosque Attacks, and Police Complicity

Across Haryana, eyewitnesses and human rights groups reported Hindu mobs torching Muslim homes, shops, mosques, hotels, and vehicles. In some cases, the police stood by. In others, they allegedly encouraged the mob.

Victims received no compensation. Many Muslims were falsely arrested. Others fled their homes in fear of arrest, harassment, or worse. The destruction of property and police silence created a chilling message: Muslims in India are no longer safe — even in their own neighborhoods.

Haryana Is Not an Exception — It’s a Pattern

What happened in Haryana is part of a broader pattern of Islamophobic state violence in India. Under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, anti-Muslim sentiment has been institutionalised.

From the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that excludes Muslims from refugee protections, to the National Register of Citizens (NRC) that threatens millions with statelessness, to the push for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) aimed at erasing Islamic personal law — Modi’s India has targeted Muslim identity from every angle.

BJP-backed organisations like RSS, VHP, and Bajrang Dal openly demonise Muslims as “invaders,” “terrorists,” or “cow-killers,” and have engaged in cow vigilante lynchings, forced religious conversions, and hate speech campaigns without consequence.

The Threat to Indian Democracy

This Hindu nationalist project threatens not just Muslims, but India’s very democracy. Bulldozing Muslim homes, criminalising Muslim dress, restricting Islamic worship, and legitimising violence through state silence are steps on the road to majoritarian fascism.

The BJP has normalized the vilification of Islam, turning Muslims into political scapegoats, while emboldening mobs with the protection of Hindu-first policies. As a result, India has seen a surge in communal violence, especially since Modi rose to power in 2014.

A History of Partitioned Hatred

India’s deepening Hindu-Muslim divide is rooted in the bloodshed of Partition in 1947, when British colonialism split the subcontinent into Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India. Millions crossed borders; hundreds of thousands were killed.

Since then, communal riots have plagued Indian history — from Gujarat in 2002 (where Modi was Chief Minister during a Muslim massacre), to Delhi in 2020, and now Haryana in 2023. The cycle of violence continues, fuelled by hate, and upheld by power.

What Must Be Done

The persecution of Muslims in India is a grave violation of international human rights law, and a betrayal of India’s own constitution, which promises secularism and equality for all.

The Indian government must:

• • End all extrajudicial demolitions targeting Muslims

• • Investigate and prosecute Hindu extremist violence

• • Protect Islamic places of worship

• • Hold police accountable for inaction or complicity

• • Rein in hate speech from political and religious leaders

And above all, India must rebuild trust with its Muslim citizens — not through forced assimilation, but by respecting their identity, faith, and dignity.