Hundreds of protestors on Saturday took to streets in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against the recent amendments made to the Citizenship Act. New Delhi, India. 14 December 2019. Editorial credit: Sauvik Acharyya / Shutterstock.com

India

While India is a multiparty democracy, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has presided over discriminatory policies and increased violence affecting the Muslim population. The constitution guarantees civil liberties including freedom of expression and freedom of religion, but harassment of journalists, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and other government critics has increased significantly under Modi. Muslims, scheduled castes (Dalits), and scheduled tribes (Adivasis) remain economically and socially marginalized.

People gather in Myanmar to protest the February 1, 2021 military coup. (Image credit: Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Freedom in the World — India Country Report

India is rated Partly Free in Freedom in the World 2022, Freedom House's annual study of political rights and civil liberties worldwide.

Countries in the Spotlight

Freedom in the World's Countries in the Spotlight features countries that experienced important developments in 2019 that affected their democratic trajectory, and deserve special scrutiny in 2020. In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s discriminatory actions against Muslims, and a fierce crackdown on protesters opposing the changes, indicated a deterioration of basic freedoms in the world’s largest democracy. View the full report to learn about the other Countries in the Spotlight.

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