What Modi won’t show the G20: Muslims killed, harassed by the police and abused in school
In recent months, billboards across India—particularly in the capital, New Delhi—have prominently featured Prime Minister Narendra Modi, welcoming global delegates to the G20 summit with the phrase “Mother of Democracy to host G20.” On the eve of the summit, set to begin Saturday, Modi authored an article highlighting India’s democratic diversity. “For India, the G20 presidency is not merely a high-level diplomatic endeavour. As the mother of democracy, and a model of diversity, we opened the doors of this experience to the world,” he wrote.
Over the past year, Modi has championed democratic ideals during his high-profile state visit to the U.S. and other international appearances, such as the G7 meetings, often paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and portraying India as a secular, inclusive nation. However, critics argue this image is a carefully crafted facade that conceals a harsher reality—one in which minorities, particularly Muslims, face growing hostility.
Consider just one example from this year: On July 31, a railway police constable, Chetan Kumar Singh, fatally shot his superior officer and then murdered three Muslim passengers aboard a long-distance train. Standing beside one of the bodies, he declared allegiance to Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, saying: “If you want to live and vote in Hindustan [India], I am telling you, it’s only Modi and Yogi, these two people.”