Uploaded April 2014 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
In the months leading up to India's 2014 national elections, there has been a rise in acts of violence targeting religious minorities and an increase in discriminatory rhetoric that has polarized national politics along religious and class lines. Underlying problems have been exacerbated by the implementation of 'Freedom of Religion Acts' across five Indian states, which have led to higher reported incidents of intimidation, discrimination, harassment, and violence against minorities. Severe outbreaks of communal violence against religious minorities, including the 2002 Gujarat riots targeting Muslims, the 2007 mob attacks against Christians in Odisha, and the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 have socially and economically marginalized large pockets of religious minority communities. As the 2014 Indian elections draw closer, it is important to examine the implications of this polarization in the context of the US-India relationship.
In the months leading up to India's 2014 national elections, there has been a rise in acts of violence targeting religious minorities and an increase in discriminatory rhetoric that has polarized national politics along religious and class lines. Underlying problems have been exacerbated by the implementation of 'Freedom of Religion Acts' across five Indian states, which have led to higher reported incidents of intimidation, discrimination, harassment, and violence against minorities. Severe outbreaks of communal violence against religious minorities, including the 2002 Gujarat riots targeting Muslims, the 2007 mob attacks against Christians in Odisha, and the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 have socially and economically marginalized large pockets of religious minority communities. As the 2014 Indian elections draw closer, it is important to examine the implications of this polarization in the context of the US-India relationship.
