London, 28th January 2026.(Dr. Muzzammil Ayyub Thakur) __ European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s recent portrayal of India as “the world’s largest democracy” and a pillar of “global stability, prosperity, and security”, coupled with her framing of the EU–India Security and Defence Partnership as a union between “the world’s two largest democracies”, is not merely
optimistic rhetoric. It is a dangerous distortion that actively shields a regime engaged
in systematic democratic backsliding, minority persecution, and state-sponsored
transnational violence from international scrutiny.

This uncritical endorsement directly contradicts the European Union’s foundational
commitments to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. By glossing over
India’s well-documented descent into authoritarian practices, the EU risks complicity
in normalizing repression and eroding its own moral authority, particularly when
contrasted with its firm stance against similar violations by Russia in Ukraine.

Press Freedom Crushed: India Plunges to the Bottom Ranks

A vibrant democracy requires a free and fearless press. India’s reality is the
opposite. In the 2025 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders
(RSF), India ranks a dismal 151st out of 180 countries, an improvement from 159th
in prior years, but still firmly in the “very serious” crisis category, where journalism is
perilous and independent reporting is systematically suppressed.

Journalists investigating minority rights abuses, government corruption, protests, or
the situation in Kashmir face relentless harassment: arbitrary arrests under
draconian counter-terrorism and sedition laws, midnight raids on media offices,
prolonged internet blackouts, and physical intimidation. The concentration of media
ownership in the hands of pro-government oligarchs further strangles pluralism,

turning much of the mainstream press into a mouthpiece for the ruling Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP).

Civil Society Strangled: NGOs Targeted and Silenced

Independent civil society faces existential threats. The misuse of foreign funding
laws (FCRA) has become a weapon to bankrupt and dismantle human rights
organizations. The forced closure of Amnesty International’s operations in India
remains a chilling emblem of how regulatory pretexts are deployed to eliminate
scrutiny rather than promote transparency. Hundreds of NGOs have been
deregistered or crippled, creating a vacuum where state abuses go unchallenged.

Rampant Discrimination and Violence Against Minorities

Genuine democracy demands equal protection and justice for all citizens. Yet India
under the current government has presided over a surge in targeted persecution of
religious minorities, primarily Muslims, but also Christians, Sikhs, and others.

Human Rights Watch’s World Report 2025 documents widespread failures to protect
minorities, including vigilante violence emboldened by anti-conversion laws in at
least 12 states, “bulldozer justice” demolitions of Muslim homes as collective
punishment, and mob attacks on prayer gatherings. Anti-minority hate speech rose
13% in 2025 , with the vast majority occurring in BJP-governed states, according to
a Washington-based research group. Prime Minister Modi’s own campaign rhetoric
has repeatedly fuelled hostility and incitement against Muslims.

Impunity reigns: perpetrators of communal violence face little accountability, while
victims encounter barriers to justice and further state harassment.

Democracy Reduced to Elections: Core Freedoms in Freefall

India holds large-scale elections, but democracy is far more than periodic voting.
International assessments paint a grim picture: Freedom House and V-Dem reports
highlight India’s continued decline in liberal democracy rankings (e.g., V-Dem placing
it at 100th out of 179 in recent indices), driven by executive overreach, judicial

erosion, prolonged pre-trial detentions of critics, curbs on peaceful assembly, and the
weaponization of national security laws against dissenters.

Kashmir: A Blueprint for Nationwide Repression

The 2019 revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status unleashed a template
of militarized control now exported across India. Prolonged lockdowns, mass
arbitrary detentions, internet shutdowns, and heavy securitization violate
international human rights standards. Kashmir has long served as a testing ground
for repressive tactics, custodial torture, enforced disappearances, staged
encounters, that increasingly appear in mainland India.

Worse, India’s repression extends beyond borders. Credible allegations link Indian
agents to transnational assassinations and plots, including the 2023 killing of
Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a foiled assassination attempt in New
York against another Sikh leader, attacks on Kashmiri activists in London, and
reports of over two dozen targeted killings of Kashmiris in Pakistan. These acts
represent a brazen violation of sovereignty and international norms, yet receive little
rebuke from partners like the EU.

A Values-Based Partnership Demands Accountability, Not Denial

Strategic cooperation cannot come at the expense of human rights. By parroting
India’s self-congratulatory narrative without confronting these escalating violations,
the EU undermines its credibility and signals that geopolitical expediency trumps
universal values.

A genuine EU–India partnership must incorporate binding mechanisms for human
rights monitoring, transparent dialogue on democratic erosion, and consequences for
persistent abuses. Rhetoric alone will not suffice; consistency, accountability, and the
willingness to name uncomfortable truths are essential.

The EU must adopt more precise, principled language and a more evolved approach
toward India, one that prioritizes human dignity over strategic convenience.