The Constitution of India enshrines fundamental rights, including equality before the law, equal protection of the law, and prohibition of discrimination based on religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth. Additionally, it guarantees freedom to profess, practice, and propagate any religion, as well as freedom of religious instruction and worship. However, these constitutional values are under siege.
In recent years, India’s democracy and Constitution have faced an unprecedented crisis. Democratic institutions have collapsed, and the independence of the judiciary and oversight bodies has been severely compromised. The functioning of Parliament has been gravely impaired. The government has institutionalized corruption and lack of transparency in election funding through the Electoral Bonds system, allowing corporations to secretly divert black money to the ruling party’s coffers. The dilution of the Right to Information Act has undermined citizens’ fundamental democratic right to question the government and hold it accountable.
Neo-liberal economic policies and growing crony capitalism have adversely impacted women in general, but especially those who belong to the Dalit, Adivasi and other marginalized communities. Their fragile economic base has been devastated.
Attacks on minorities have created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity, with Muslims and Christians facing targeted discrimination. The country has witnessed a systematic attempt to spread communal hatred and divide people along religious lines. This communal agenda is being implemented with vengeance, resulting in large-scale violence, such as in Manipur, and daily attacks on individuals, groups, and residential colonies of minorities. Lynching, killing, and demolishing houses, localities, mosques, and churches have become commonplace. Members of minority communities are being implicated in false cases, tortured, arrested, and languishing in jails without trial.
The criminal justice system in India has virtually collapsed, particularly with regards to minority rights, especially for Muslims and Christians. There has been a steady deterioration in the rule of law with alarming cases of police excesses, including custodial deaths.
To address this crisis, Anhad, in collaboration with United Christian Forum, organized a convention titled “The Quest for Equality and Justice: Status of Muslims & Christians in Contemporary India” on September 14, 2024, from 3-7 pm at Jawahar Bhawan, New Delhi. The convention aimed to take stock of the situation and plan future strategies to safeguard secular values.