India faces challenges to democratic institutions and secularism

India faces significant challenges regarding its democratic identity and the protection of fundamental freedoms. While the nation possesses a vast electorate and a strong constitutional framework, the rise of Hindutva ideology under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has placed the country’s commitment to secularism under strain by centering Hindu identity in national consciousness.

Concerns regarding the impartial application of law have been raised by the Citizenship Amendment Act, the practice of demolishing Muslim-owned properties, and recurring communal violence. Specific instances of instability include the ethnic and religious violence in Manipur, which resulted in deaths and displacement, and the constitutional changes in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.