India’s civic freedoms faced assault in Modi’s 2nd term, says rights group

New Delhi, Apr 17 (EFE).- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second five-year term was marked by a pattern of “repression to undermine democracy and civic space,» a rights watchdog said on Wednesday.

A CIVICUS Monitor’s report highlighting how India’s “civil society organisations have faced an increased crackdown” comes as Modi, the leader of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), seeks a third consecutive term in office.

As India prepares for its seven-phase general elections starting Friday, allegations abound that the nation is veering more towards «electoral autocracy,» according to the V-Dem Institute’s Democracy Report 2024.

CIVICUS describes Modi’s second term as characterized by repression tactics aimed at stifling dissent and curtailing civil society organizations, human rights defenders, and independent media. The report rates India’s civic space as «repressed.»

“Modi’s second term in power was sustained by a pattern of repression to undermine democracy and civic space,” the global civil society alliance said.

The Indian government, under Modi’s leadership, has utilized a range of restrictive laws and policies to silence critics, including canceling registrations, conducting raids, and blocking foreign funding for dissenting civil society groups, it said.

It said India’s civil society faced an increased crackdown through the cancellation of their registrations, raids, and investigations by law enforcement agencies.

The report highlights the misuse of draconian anti-terror laws, resulting in the arbitrary detention of activists without charges for extended periods.

“The increasing use of restrictive laws during Prime Minister Modi’s second term…highlights a government that has become intolerable of any form of dissent,” said Marianna Belalba Barreto, Research Lead for the CIVICUS Monitor.

“These laws have become tools for judicial harassment and are incompatible with India’s international human rights obligations as well as India’s constitution.”

The report, in particular, highlights the dire situation in Kashmir, where human rights work has ground to a halt due to the arrest of activists and harassment of civil society members.

Among them is human rights defender Khurram Parvez, who has been detained for more than two years now.

Journalists who report on critical issues in Kashmir have also been targeted, the report said.

“In Kashmir, the heavy-handed repression by the Indian government against critical voices and the failure to ensure accountability have left the region in a climate of fear,” said Belalba. EFE

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