Alarmed rights groups join diaspora to deliberate on genocidal threat in India
India on the Brink – Preventing Genocide, a three-day virtual summit is being jointly organised by international Diaspora led organisations and allies around the globe to bring awareness about the situation in India
Washington, February 23 (KMS): Experts from Amnesty International, Genocide Watch and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum among other leading human rights watchdogs have raised alarm over growing hate crimes in India and warned that Hindutva driven agenda of the government is creating conditions conducive to genocide of Muslims and Christians.
To deliberate on the concerns arising from the tense situation in India, Indian Diaspora organisations around the world are partnering with internationally acclaimed human rights organisations to host a three-day virtual summit titled “India on the brink – Preventing Genocide”.
The Summit, co-sponsored by a global coalition of over 20 organisations, is joined by leading international human rights lawyers, genocide prevention experts, faith leaders, activists, lawmakers and human right defenders from around the world.
The call for ethnic cleansing was given at two separate religious events, one in Delhi, and the other in Haridwar at a saffron gathering.
They drew the conclusion on the basis of the fast rising cases of human rights abuses against religious minorities and marginalised communities in the country.
Elaborating further on the fascist trends in India, the experts said the day-to-day incidence of hate speech and violence against Muslims and minorities coupled with government apathy over open calls for genocide of Muslims have created a deeply repressive and dangerous situation for India’s 200 million Muslims.
The goal of the summit is to bring awareness about the situation in India, to advance the discourse on the international community’s role in safeguarding lives, and to facilitate deeper conversations about a vision for India that builds on its longstanding tradition of pluralism and respect for diversity.
Dr. Gregory Stanton, President of Genocide Watch and a co-chair of the Summit, said, “The international community has a moral obligation to act now to prevent a cataclysmic turn of events in India, where millions of Muslims and other marginalized communities are already living in fear and experiencing the rapidly shrinking space for civil rights and religious freedom.”
“The far-right political leadership in India has fueled the ongoing crisis with vitriol and the dehumanized representation of Indian Muslims,” said Dr. Ritumbra Manuvie, Executive Director of Stichting The London Story, a Europe based human rights organisation, and a co-chair of the Summit. “The Summit will bring credible and authoritative voices from around the world to shine a light on India’s rapid descent into fascism,” added Dr. Manuvie.
“This Summit is an urgent call to action to safeguard peace, pluralism and justice for all Indians,” said Mr. Rasheed Ahmed, Executive Director of the Indian American Muslim Council, and co-chair of the Summit. “We yearn for a better world where religion and spirituality are wellsprings of love, compassion and a shared ethic of the sanctity of life, and not of hate and mass violence,” added Mr. Ahmed.
