India is experiencing significant democratic backsliding, marked by rising majoritarian nationalism, criminalization of dissent, and increased discrimination against minorities — especially Muslims — according to the author.

Key warning signs include normalized hate speech and violence, discriminatory laws like the Citizenship Amendment Act, weakened institutions (judiciary, media, universities), and historical revisionism that promotes communal narratives.

The author argues these trends threaten not only India’s 1.4 billion citizens but also regional stability in South Asia and the global democratic order, urging the international community to pay closer attention beyond strategic and economic interests.

India is often celebrated as the world’s largest democracy — a rising economic power, a strategic partner for the West, and a counterweight to China. Its story has long been told as one of pluralism, resilience, and civilizational depth. But beneath this optimistic narrative lies a darker reality: India is undergoing a profound democratic backsliding that threatens not only its own citizens but global stability. As a Bangladeshi-born scholar of South Asian history, I wrote ‘Modi-fied’ India: The Transformation of a Nation because the world cannot afford to ignore what is happening inside India today.

For decades, India was admired for its ability to hold together extraordinary diversity — languages, religions, castes, ethnicities — under a constitutional framework that promised equality and secularism. It was a rare example of a post-colonial state that embraced democratic institutions rather than authoritarian rule. But the India of today is not the India of Nehru, Ambedkar, or even Vajpayee. It is an India where majoritarian nationalism has become the dominant political force, where dissent is increasingly criminalized, and where minorities — especially Muslims — face unprecedented levels of harassment, violence, and discrimination.

The signs of democratic decay are unmistakable. Lynching has become normalized. Hate speech is mainstream. Laws such as the Citizenship Amendment Act openly discriminate on religious grounds. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has designated India a “country of particular concern” seven years in a row. Genocide Watch has issued warnings. These are not fringe assessments; they are alarms from institutions that monitor global threats.

The rise of majoritarian nationalism in India mirrors trends in other countries — from Hungary to Myanmar, from Israel to the United States. Around the world, leaders have discovered the political utility of identity-based polarization. But India’s transformation is........

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