Islamabad, March 12, 2026 A symposium held on the sidelines of the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council called for UN special rapporteurs to be allowed immediate access to Jammu and Kashmir and areas affected by riots in Delhi and Manipur, warning of alleged religious persecution and human rights violations in the region. India It requires urgent international scrutiny, according to a press release cited here.
The event, titled “Religious Persecution in India,” was organized by the World Islamic Congress in collaboration with the Kashmir Institute of International Relations, and brought together human rights defenders, legal experts and scholars to discuss the growing pattern of discrimination against religious minorities.
Participants said the gap between India’s constitutional promise of secularism and the situation on the ground is widening, citing incidents of communal violence, demolition of minority-owned property, and restrictions on religious freedom.
Speakers claimed that attacks on minority communities reflect a systematic pattern rather than isolated incidents.
They pointed to incidents in Manipur, where, they said, about 200 churches were burned while security forces were present, and they pointed to cases in Haryana state where a Muslim family’s shop was demolished amid a public celebration.
Panelists said the legislative framework also contributes to what they called a “structure of exclusion.”
They noted that the Citizenship Amendment Act introduced religion as a criterion for citizenship for the first time since independence, while the proposed National Register of Citizens could leave millions vulnerable to statelessness.
According to speakers, there are several anti-conversion laws Indian The states were used to target interfaith marriages, especially between Muslim men, while churches in states such as Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka were reportedly raided.
The discussion also highlighted incidents of cow vigilantism, with speakers noting that more than 100 deaths have been documented since 2015, and alleging a lack of accountability in many cases.
Particular attention was paid to Jammu and Kashmir, where participants said the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution of India in August 2019 would be followed by an extended period of Internet Closures and restrictions on religious activities.
Speakers described measures such as imposing restrictions on Friday prayers, detaining religious leaders, and changing residency laws as attempts to change the demographic and political landscape in the region.
The committee also drew attention to what they described as overlapping forms of discrimination affecting Christian communities in Manipur, Sikh communities in Punjab, and Dalit communities facing social exclusion, including restrictions on temple entry.
Speakers urged the international community to review bilateral agreements with India that contain human rights provisions, and to ensure the protection of religious sites they said were under threat, including the Gyanvapi Mosque, the Jama Masjid in Srinagar and churches in Manipur.
The symposium was moderated by Altaf Hussain Wani, Chairman of the Kashmir Institute of International Relations and Permanent Representative of the World Islamic Conference in Geneva.
Speakers included Alfred de Zayas, former UN independent expert on the promotion of a just international order; Canadian writer and human rights advocate Robert Fantina; Saba Ghulam Nabi, Research Associate at AJK Center for International Strategic Studies; Shamim Shawl, representative of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference; and US-based human rights defender Mary Scully.