NEW DELHI — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government are increasingly using strong-arm tactics to suppress political opponents and critics of the ruling Hindu-nationalist party ahead of the nationwide elections that begin this week.
Ten years into power, and on the brink of securing five more years, the Modi government is overturning India’s long-standing commitment to multiparty democracy and secularism.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has leveled corruption charges against numerous officials from its main rival, the Congress Party, with few resulting in convictions. Many politicians from other opposition parties are either under investigation or behind bars. Just last month, Modi’s government froze the Congress party’s bank accounts for alleged non-payment of taxes.
The Modi administration maintains that the country’s investigative agencies are independent and that its democratic institutions are strong, citing high voter turnout in recent elections that have given Modi’s party a clear mandate.
However, civil liberties are being eroded. Peaceful protests are being forcefully suppressed. The once free and diverse press is under threat. Violence against the Muslim minority is on the rise. And the country’s judiciary is increasingly aligning with the executive branch.
To gain deeper insights into how Modi is reshaping India and the stakes in the upcoming election that begins on Friday and runs through June 1, The Associated Press interviewed a lawyer, a journalist, and an opposition politician.
Here are their accounts:
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Mihir Desai has been advocating for the civil liberties and human rights of India’s most marginalized communities, such as the poor and Muslims, for nearly four decades.
The 65-year-old lawyer from Mumbai is currently working on one of his most high-profile cases: defending a group of political activists, journalists, and lawyers who were arrested in 2018 on charges of conspiring to overthrow the Modi government. Desai believes the accusations are unfounded and part of the government’s frequent attempts to silence critics.
One of the defendants, a Jesuit priest and civil rights activist, passed away at the age of 84 after spending around nine months in custody. The other defendants remain imprisoned, facing charges under anti-terror laws that seldom lead to convictions.
Desai believes that the government’s aim is to send a message to potential critics.
According to digital forensics experts at U.S.-based Arsenal Consulting, the Indian government hacked into the computers of some of the accused individuals and planted files that were later used as evidence against them.
Desai sees this as evidence that the Modi government has “weaponized” the country’s once-independent investigative agencies.
He perceives threats to Indian democracy on multiple fronts. Last year, the government removed the country’s chief justice as one of the three individuals responsible for appointing commissioners overseeing elections; Modi and the opposition leader in parliament now hold the other two positions. With one of Modi’s cabinet ministers having a vote in the process, the ruling party now holds a 2-1 majority.
“It’s a death knell for free and fair elections,” Desai remarked.
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Waheed-Ur-Rehman Para, 35, was previously considered an ally of the Indian government’s interests in Kashmir. He worked with young individuals in the majority-Muslim, semi-autonomous region, advocating for embracing India and its democratic institutions rather than seeking independence or merging with Pakistan.
However, Para began to be viewed with suspicion by the Modi government in 2018 for alleged ties to anti-India separatists. He has since been imprisoned twice: in 2019 on suspicion of being able to incite unrest along with other political opponents, and in 2020 on charges of supporting militant groups — allegations he denies.
The accusations came as a shock to Para, whose People’s Democratic Party previously governed Kashmir in partnership with Modi’s party.
He believes that the motive behind his arrests was clear: “I was detained to forcibly endorse the government’s 2019 decision,” referring to the crackdown on resistance in Kashmir following the revocation of the region’s semi-autonomous status.
Modi’s administration argues that the move was necessary to fully integrate the disputed region with India and promote economic development there.
Following his 2020 arrest, Para spent nearly two years in jail, often in solitary confinement, and was subjected to “abusive interrogations,” according to U.N. experts.
“My offense was that I advocated for the integration of Kashmir, not through force,” Para stated, as he aims to represent Kashmir’s main city in the upcoming election.
Para views his personal ordeal within the broader context of the Modi government’s campaign to silence perceived opponents, particularly those with connections to Muslims, who constitute 14% of India’s population.
“It poses a significant ethical dilemma … that the world’s largest democracy is unable to assimilate or provide dignity to the smallest segment of its population,” he remarked.
According to Para, the drive to transform once-secular India into a Hindu republic may help Modi secure electoral victories in the short term, but it will result in a much greater loss.
“It jeopardizes the very essence of this country’s diversity,” he added.
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In October 2020, independent journalist Sidhique Kappan was arrested while attempting to report on a government crackdown in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, governed by Modi’s party.
Authorities had been struggling to contain protests and outrage over a horrific rape case for several days. The accused perpetrators were four upper-caste Hindu men, while the victim belonged to the Dalit community, the lowest tier of India’s caste system.
Kappan, a 44-year-old Muslim, was detained and imprisoned before reaching the crime scene, accused of intending to incite violence. After spending two years behind bars, his case reached India’s highest court in 2022. While he was swiftly granted bail, the legal proceedings against him are ongoing.
Kappan’s situation is not unique, and he believes it underscores the increasing dangers faced by journalists in India. Under intense pressure from the state, many Indian news outlets have become more compliant and supportive of government policies.
“Those who have attempted to maintain independence have faced relentless attacks from the government,” he noted.
Foreign journalists are prohibited from reporting in Kashmir, as well as in Manipur, a northeastern state embroiled in ethnic conflicts for nearly a year.
Television broadcasts are increasingly dominated by channels promoting the government’s Hindu nationalist agenda, such as a citizenship law that excludes Muslim migrants. Independent TV stations have been temporarily shut down, and newspapers critical of Modi’s policies find that government advertising — a crucial source of revenue — quickly dries up.
Last year, the BBC’s India offices were raided on allegations of tax irregularities shortly after airing a documentary critical of Modi.
The organization Reporters Without Borders ranks India 161st globally in terms of press freedom.
Since his arrest, Kappan has had limited opportunities to report news. The ongoing trial requires him to travel to a court located hundreds of miles away every other week, consuming both time and money. This has made it challenging for him to support his wife and three children.
“It’s affecting their education and mental well-being,” Kappan shared.
