India in the World
- On the 31st of July, India bypassed Amnesty International’s allegations, namely that India was breaching its obligations under the Genocide Convention and the Geneva Conventions, by permitting weapons-related exports to Israel despite evidence on its possible use and “clear and public warnings”. Furthermore, Amnesty claimed that India became a “significant actor in enabling Israel’s military operations” in Gaza. The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson didn’t directly respond to these charges.
- On the 1st of August, after a six-year hiatus, India and China resumed used border trade from May to November every year, through the Nathu La Pass in Sikkim. They reviewed the case along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and discussed boundary delimitation, border management and trans-border cooperation.
- On the 5th of August, Bangladesh has strongly condemned the decision of India to allow former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to address the media from New Delhi. Bangladesh described the event as an affront to Bangladesh’s sovereignty and warning that it may undermine efforts rebuilding bilateral relations. Bangladeshi Ministry of Foreign Affairs was “outraged” and took his allowed participation a “grievous insult”.
- On the 9th of August, the Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin called on Moscow and New Delhi to discuss the possibility of a direct rail link to the Indian Ocean. Aimed to reduce transit risks with the Strait of Hormuz and Bosphorus strait, these routes, as mentioned by Khusnullin be a sustained investment in the Russian construction sector beyond international transport links and geopolitical matters.
Civil society, human rights defenders, and journalists
- On the 1st of August, Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), a digital rights organisation, condemned what it described a coordinated online doxxing and shaming campaign, targeting young women protesting at Jantar Mantar in July. According to IFF, a minor’s photographs and personal details were circulated online.
- On the 8th of August, two Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) students were denied anticipatory bail over alleged “free Umar, Sharjeel” slogans at GN Saibaba event. A Mumbai court granted bail to seven others, but rejected it for these two, citing recovered “Maoist literature” from their devices. The students denied raising alleged slogans. The court noted that allegations of slogans and the material recovered is sufficient against granting anticipatory bail.
- On the 14th of August, Delhi Police forced Jawaharlal Nehru University professor to cancel his speech last minute after Vishwa Hindu Parishad protests. The police claimed they received a call informing them about a security threat faced by Hasan, the speaker.
- On the 17th of August, Gujarat Police raid journalist Ravi Nair’s home after High Court refuses to quash First Information Report (FIR) over Adani-LIC report, and seized devices. The Gujarat HC refused to quash the FIR against him over a social media post which was concerned with the Washington Post investigation, alleging that the Life Insurance Corporation of India invested in Adani Group companies at the Union government’s direction.
- On the 22nd of August, several protesters were detained in Delhi by police and the Rapid Action Force, as thousands joined the demand that quotas in educational institutions and government jobs should, instead of caste, be based on economic criteria. They demanded income-based prioritisation within the quota for Scheduled Castes, Schedules Tribes and Other Backward Classes. The government maintained that quotas are based on historical and social backwardness.
Hate Crimes and Hate Speech against Minorities
- On the 3rd of August, Joint Secretary of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) leader Danish Ali alleged that Madhya Pradesh Police harassed her family over NEET protest and singled her out for her Muslim identity. The student leader claimed that the police intimidated her father and that police action happened despite no FIR against her.
- On the 7th of August, Bengali theatre artist Subhankar Dassharma claimed that he was brutally assaulted by Hindutva men after they mistook him for a Muslim over his attire.
- On the 8th of August, South Asia Justice Campaign’s India Persecution Tracker claimed that 25 Muslims were killed in India between May and July 2026, making 2026 the deadliest year since 2022, with religious structures, homes, businesses demolished, mass voter-roll deletions. The report further claims lack of police action on calls by Hindu extremists for the genocide of Muslims.
- On the 15th of August, PM Modi called for “dimagi Naxals” to be “found and isolated” in his Independence Day speech. He said persons with “Naxal mentality” are threatening Indian society, and that persons with Maoist ideology had “established themselves in the corridors of power and influences policy making, including as advisers on government committees”, adding that “in our jungles, we have been successful in weeding out Naxals with weapons”.
- On the 18th of August, the BJP’s newly appointed social media team came under scrutiny for posts praising Gandhi’s assassin, Nathuram Godse, containing genocidal and Islamophobic remarks, using misogynistic language and prompting critics to say that “being abusive is a primary qualification for BJP IT cell”. One of the new appointees is linked to “The Pamphlet”, a controversial Hindu far-right propaganda outlet, posting misogynistic, anti-Muslim and anti-reservation content.
- On the 20th of August, a Dalit journalist was injured in a caste-based attack in Rajasthan, with caste slurs hurled at him. Allegedly, the attack was subjected to caste-based abuse, while he was covering a public grievance program. According to the FIR, the journalist, Salvi, claims that a resident assaulted him after obstructing his camera. After Salvi moved away, the aggressor allegedly followed and attacked him again, until people intervened.
- On the 20th of August, an FIR was filed after Dalit men were forced off chairs at a Rajasthan Independence Day event. The two men alleged that they were subject to caste-based discrimination at the program. They added that they were intimated and forced to leave.
Religious Freedoms and Minority Rights
- On the 8th of August, Tribal Christian families in Chhattisgarh allege they were assaulted, driven from their homes by Hindutva groups, while the village panchayat banned their return amid a campaign against Christian Adivasis backed by RSS. Allegedly, the police refused to take action. Civil society groups pointed to a Hindutva group, Janjati Suraksha Manch, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh affiliated organization.
- On the 8th of August, rights groups accused Bengaluru Police of the illegal detention and assault of hundreds of migrant workers, including women and children, during police drive to “identify Bangladeshis”. The complaint has been filed alleged “illegal detention, assault and inhumane treatment” of the workers, and hostile towards lawyers attempting to meet the detained people. Among them was an old man injured, and one who sustained severe injuries.
Internet and Technology
- On the 4th of August, amid the CJP protests and police crackdowns, an AI video went viral of a woman in white saree and low-cut blouse. Allegedly, she was one of the, at least six AI-generated women, whose faces were grafted onto real footage from people at the protests, The sexualized AI fakes seem to replace real CJP protesters and draw ridicule to the protesters by right-wing accounts, gaining millions of views.
- On the 6th of August, the government proposed a three-hour deadline for takedown of unlawful AI content under draft IT Rules. The MeitY further suggested mandatory labelling of AI-generated content, faster grievance redress timelines as well as stricter obligations for platforms to combat deepfakes and misinformation driven by AI. Allegedly, these changes are aimed at addressing misuse of AI as well as ensuring “an open, safe, trusted and accountable cyberspace”.
- On the 9th of August, Meta has restricted the access to a report in India on Kashmir pellet victim from Instagram. The victim was home, when security forces opened a barrage of pellets, hitting her in the eyes, blinding her for life. The platform claims the post was restricted under Indian domestic legal requirements. Pellet guns have under focus due to their use in the CJP protests.
- On the 11th of August, the Supreme Court has directed the Union of India to consider a representation seeking mechanism for plea seeking to block illegal content. The plea seeking mechanisms would be for urgent reporting, as well as URL-specific disabling of access to specific sorts of contents. These would be contents that include threats of physical violence, doxing, unauthorized disclosure of private details, and non-consensual AI-generated content in India.
Political Parties
- On the 1st of August, the Election Commission announced the extension of the deadline for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Telangana, amid concerns over voter disenfranchisement. This is the second extension this year, and with the latest decision, Booth Level Officers were given an extra week to complete the verification of voters going door-to-door. Reports allege that millions of eligible voters got their rights denied during revision exercises.
- On the 17th of August, a BJP leader among eight arrested for killing a CJP activists’s father over the activist’s inspection visit to school. The father was allegedly beaten with iron rods and sticks by a group of men, after which the police arrested eight people including the local BJP leader and booth president. Allegedly, the activist’s phone was snatched, and photos and videos of the school were deleted.
Police and authorities
- On the 10th of August, Indian police fired tear gas at the protesters who were seeking exam reforms in Jharkhand. Thousands of students, volunteers and job seekers were aiming to reach the state’s assembly in Ranchi to register their protest. Many attempted to breach police barricades, to which the police responded with water cannons, batons and tear gas to try to disperse the crowd.
- On the 11th of August, Delhi students allege police harassment long after protests, claiming repeated home visits by police personnel, questioning parents, relatives, surveillance and intimidation. “Sometimes they come in civil dress and no ID” said one of the many students, adding the police’s comment to her parents: “if you can’t control your daughter, then we will do it in our way”. The police haven’t yet responded to the allegations.
- On the 20th of August, Tejashwi Yadav detained during Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) protest against police crackdowns on CJP protests, seeking accountability: including for use of an AK-47 rifle. Police used water cannons to disperse RJD protesters. The Bihar Government admitted to the AK-47 use on protesters but hold that no one was injured. Delhi and Bihar police defend the use of force against protesters before the Supreme Court.
Judiciary
- On the 2nd of August, the Ministry of Home Affairs made a submission to the Supreme Court that a foreign national cannot be deported, unless their home country confirms their nationality and agrees to accept them. The submission was made to the court hearing a plea challenging indefinite detention of those considered foreigners in Assam, without prospects of deportation.
- On the 3rd of August, the Supreme Court said that the states may have the freedom to close or withdraw FIRs that are in accordance with law, against the protesters who participated in the CJP protests leading to the resignation of former Union education minister. The Court further observed that in exceptional circumstances the police regulations permit the use of pellet guns, and challenging their use may not be maintainable.
- On the 2nd of August, the Allahabad High Court quashed the suspension of a government primary teacher, who was suspended due to social media posts allegedly emphasizing the misdeeds of a BJP leader. The Court held that the suspension was “arbitrary, illegal, and unsustainable in law”.
Business & economy
- On the 18th of August, across India groups of farmers protested the proposed India-US trade agreement. Fears over US farm imports, battles over transmission lines and compensation, farmers resist policies which they view as threatening their livelihood, land and income. They’ve been protesting for over two months now, saying “India is not for sale”, and that the agreement may negatively impact the entire agricultural chain.
Compiled by Diaspora in Action for Human Rights and Democracy.
