Religious minorities in India once again came under attack this year when the Christian Kuki community in the northeastern state of Manipur faced violence from the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority. The clashes resulted in 11 deaths and many more displaced, prompting authorities to impose an internet blackout and a curfew to quell the ethnic violence that has flared periodically in the region. This is not the first time the Kuki community has been targeted.

The Christian minority has endured various forms of violence, including sexual violence against its women, which has sparked international outrage yet failed to change the situation on the ground. This latest outbreak once again highlights the deteriorating conditions of minorities in India under the Hindu nationalist BJP government and their RSS supporters. Over time, India’s Hindu majority has clashed with and persecuted religious minorities across the country.

From the attacks on Sikhs in the 1980s, including assaults on their holy sites, to the recurring pogroms against Muslims and the destruction of their sacred sites such as the Babri Masjid, to the recent violence against the Christian community in Manipur and forced conversions in other parts of the country, the pattern is clear. If one is not an upper-caste Hindu male in India, they are vulnerable to discrimination and violence in some form or another. The international community must be more aware of this troubling reality.

While multilateral organisations like the UN and human rights bodies claim to champion equality and human rights, India’s violent actions toward its minorities often go unnoticed, overshadowed by its vast and lucrative markets. Many nations, including the United States, have turned a blind eye to India’s mistreatment of its minorities, while simultaneously criticising other nations for far lesser infractions. Pakistan must continue to raise its voice against these injustices, as they reflect a deep-seated intolerance that could one day engulf India in communal violence and lead to fanatic radicalisation, threatening the stability of the entire region.