Tariq Khan
India’s celebrated image as the “world’s largest democracy” is rapidly fading. Behind the rhetoric of liberty lies a state machinery that suppresses dissent, targets minorities, and manipulates narratives to conceal its growing authoritarianism. What was once hailed as a democratic model for the developing world is now a warning of how easily democracy can be hollowed from within.
The 60th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva exposed this myth. The Society for Development and Community Empowerment presented evidence of India’s alarming human rights record, particularly in Tamil Nadu. Once admired for its reformist politics, the state now reflects the decay of democratic freedoms under the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government. Activists, lawyers, and environmental defenders are harassed, arrested, or silenced for challenging industrial greed and political interests. Police complicity and judicial inaction have turned Tamil Nadu into a zone of intimidation, where questioning authority is treated as rebellion.
At the same time, the Kashmir valley continues to bear the brunt of India’s militarized governance. Since the revocation of Article 370 in 2019, Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) has endured a relentless siege marked by mass detentions, extrajudicial killings, and digital censorship. India’s claims of “normalcy” ring hollow amid communication blackouts and pellet gun injuries that have blinded hundreds. The silence of Kashmir’s streets is not peace—it is paralysis enforced by fear.
The Kashmiri diaspora’s demonstrations at Geneva’s Broken Chair monument reminded the world that Kashmir remains an unresolved international dispute, not an internal affair. Their call for justice under UN Security Council resolutions shattered India’s long-standing excuse of sovereignty. Kashmiris are not insurgents—they are a people denied their right to self-determination, living under one of the most militarized occupations on earth.
India’s authoritarian drift, however, extends beyond its borders. The same institutions that suppress domestic dissent have evolved into tools of covert aggression abroad. From espionage to proxy violence, India’s fingerprints are increasingly visible. The arrest of Indian operatives in Qatar and the exposure of espionage networks in Australia and Canada highlight a disturbing pattern. Canada’s designation of the Lawrence Bishnoi syndicate as a terrorist organization—linked to Indian intelligence—exposed New Delhi’s growing use of criminal networks as foreign policy instruments.
The case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, a serving Indian naval officer captured in Pakistan for orchestrating subversive activities, remains one of the clearest examples of this duplicity. While projecting itself as a victim of terror, India has repeatedly been implicated in funding, training, and directing militant groups such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF). This double standard—denouncing terrorism while exporting it—has undermined India’s credibility as a responsible state.
Domestically, dissent is criminalized under draconian laws like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Across states—Assam, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Ladakh—journalists and minorities face arbitrary detention and mob violence. The judiciary, once a guardian of rights, now appears increasingly aligned with executive authority. Civil society organizations have their licenses revoked, while independent media is throttled through raids and tax investigations. India’s democracy functions in form but fails in spirit.
International watchdogs such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and UN Special Rapporteurs have repeatedly documented India’s abuses: custodial torture, media censorship, and suppression of minorities. Yet New Delhi dismisses every report as “foreign interference,” weaponizing nationalism to silence scrutiny. This pattern of denial—amplified by its allies—reflects a regime more interested in image management than introspection.
India’s transformation into an authoritarian democracy is neither sudden nor accidental. It is the result of sustained political engineering that merges majoritarian nationalism with institutional capture. Elections still occur, but without genuine choice; courts still function, but without consistent independence. The media still broadcasts, but mostly echoes government propaganda. Beneath the democratic façade lies a controlled system that rewards conformity and punishes dissent.
The international implications are profound. A state that represses voices at home and destabilizes neighbors abroad threatens global peace. India’s actions risk igniting regional conflicts and normalizing state-sponsored subversion. If the world continues to overlook these realities for strategic or economic reasons, it will encourage the erosion of democratic values elsewhere.
The UNHRC proceedings and the growing awareness among global civil society mark a turning point. The myth of India as a beacon of tolerance is crumbling. What stands exposed is a nation trading moral authority for political control, democracy for dominance. The world now faces a test of principle: whether to uphold the values it preaches or to remain silent as another democracy implodes under its contradictions.
India must be reminded that democracy cannot coexist with occupation, coercion, and covert violence. The true test of democracy is not in holding elections but in protecting the rights of those who oppose power. Until India confronts this moral reckoning, its claim to being the world’s largest democracy will remain just that—a claim, not a reality.
