NEW YORK : A US-based human rights researcher has urged the American government to impose sanctions on BJP leaders and organisations over alleged violence and discrimination against Muslims, Christians, and marginalised communities in India.
Raqib Hameed Naik testified before the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), where he presented reports documenting hate speech, demolitions, and attacks against minorities.
During his testimony, Naik said the persecution “bears the sanction of the country’s top political leadership led by Prime Minister Modi” and described the repression as “embedded in bureaucracy, codified in law, shielded by absolute impunity, and steadily more ruthless in execution.”
He named Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leaders including Yogi Adityanath and Himanta Biswa Sarma as alleged enablers of hate and discrimination.
Naik told the commission that “India today stands fourth out of 168 countries assessed by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Early Warning Project for the risk of intrastate mass killings.”
He also claimed that “state-led violence and dispossession against Muslims have reached an unprecedented scale,” particularly in Assam, where thousands of homes were allegedly demolished during eviction drives.
Raqib Naik( @raqib_naik), Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOHATE), delivered testimony at the USCIRF hearing regarding concerns about religious freedom and minority rights in India.#Alitoday #RaqibNaik #India #USCIRF #HumanRights pic.twitter.com/8C2qe8rPHW
— Alitoday (@alitodaay) May 26, 2026
According to his testimony, 1,318 hate speech incidents targeting Muslims and Christians were recorded across 21 Indian states in 2025.
“That is a shocking four hate speeches per day, and a 97 per cent increase over 2023,” Naik said.
The rights advocate further alleged that minorities were publicly referred to as “termites,” “pests,” “snakes,” and “pigs” during hate campaigns.
Naik also accused social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X of spreading extremist content.
“Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X serve as a central infrastructure for spreading this hate and bigotry and incitement to violence,” he told the hearing.
He additionally alleged that construction equipment from JCB, Caterpillar, Mahindra, Tata, and Hyundai had been used in demolition drives targeting minority properties.
Naik called on the US government to impose Global Magnitsky sanctions against Hindu nationalist organisations including Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Bajrang Dal, and Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
He also recommended that India be designated as a “Country of Particular Concern” over what he described as “severe violations of religious freedom.”
The Indian government has repeatedly rejected accusations of religious discrimination and maintains that its policies apply equally to all citizens.
