WEBDESK: In Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), new restrictions on the religious and civil freedoms of the local Muslim population have been imposed under the rule of a loyal Lieutenant Governor, reflecting Modi’s Islamophobic policies.
Under the guise of providing security for the upcoming Amarnath Yatra, thousands of additional Indian troops have been deployed across the Kashmir Valley.
This move is widely seen as an attempt to further suppress Kashmiri Muslims and restrict their daily lives.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the annual Amarnath pilgrimage will begin on July 3 and continue until August 9. In preparation, the Indian government has sent around 100,000 extra soldiers into the region.
Highways from Srinagar to Jammu have been surrounded, with snipers placed along the route.
Pilgrims will be monitored by drones, while heavily armed Indian soldiers continue to crack down on Kashmiri freedoms.
The Modi government’s Hindu nationalist policies have already deprived Kashmiri Muslims of their basic religious rights. Friday prayers and Eid congregations are frequently restricted.
Since August 5, 2019, religious leaders including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq have been repeatedly prevented from offering Eid prayers. Srinagar’s central Jamia Mosque and Eidgah remain closed for long periods.
Many prominent Islamic scholars in Kashmir have been kept under house arrest for years, further crippling the region’s religious life.
Observers say India’s aggressive and repressive actions amount to a complete denial of religious freedom in Kashmir and are symbolic of wider state-sponsored persecution.
The militarisation of Kashmir under the cover of the Amarnath Yatra reveals the Modi government’s refusal to resolve the Kashmir issue peacefully.
Instead, it continues to deepen tensions and hardships for the people of the region.
Modi’s Islamophobic policies: Called out again
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling BJP are once again facing accusations of spreading hate and discrimination against Muslims.
Famous Indian historian Ramachandra Guha has said that the BJP’s anti-Muslim mindset is not just in words, but clearly visible through government actions.
According to Guha, Modi, his ministers, the Home Minister, and BJP’s social media machinery all promote hatred against Muslims.
He highlighted the constant targeting of Muslims in India by means of mob violence, and that often goes unpunished.
They are being driven out of their homes without warning, via bulldozing, their names are being stripped off voter lists and their citizenship is being taken away through highly controversial laws which are being aimed at them.
Online hate speech by BJP supporters has also increased. Several international human rights organisations have raised strong concerns over the growing marginalisation of minorities in India, especially Muslims.
While the Indian government denies such claims, critics say this pattern reflects a deliberate policy to change India’s secular identity and turn it into a Hindu-first state.
نریندر مودی نہ صرف خود بالکہ انکی جماعت اور حکومت مسلم مخالف ہیں، ان کے وزراء، وزیرا داخلہ اور آن لائن ٹرول بریگیڈ اسے کھلے عام فروغ دیتے ہیں۔ بی جے پی کی مسلم مخالف سوچ محض بیانات کی حد تک نہیں، بلکہ عملی اقدامات کی شکل میں ظاہر ہوتی ہےجیسے منظم حملے، پرہجوم تشدد، بلڈوزر… pic.twitter.com/96FI0myOQW
— The Thursday Times (@thursday_times) June 28, 2025
Guha warned that if this situation continues, it will weaken the country’s social fabric, harming not only minorities but Indian society as a whole.
Delhi University drops courses on Islam, Pakistan, China
In another sign of rising ideological censorship in India, Delhi University has decided to remove academic courses related to Islam, Pakistan, and China from its political science syllabus.
According to Indian media, the university will drop key postgraduate courses such as Islam and International Relations, Pakistan and the World, The Pakistani State and Society, and studies related to China.
The decision was reportedly taken by the university’s standing committee, which instructed the removal of these subjects.
The Vice-Chancellor also recommended removing detailed content on Pakistan from the curriculum.
A number of faculty members have vociferously objected to the move terming it as politically motivated and a form of academic censorship.
The change is perceived as part of the larger plan of BJP government to reorient the contents of school curricula to its ideological discourse.
Read more: Indian muslims ‘forced into Bangladesh’ at gunpoint, rights groups claim
