On March 11, India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government announced the implementation of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The announcement, just weeks before India votes in general elections, seems aimed at stirring the communal pot. Additionally, its announcement at this juncture, four and half years after it was originally enacted, may be a bid … Read more
Maldah Uttar is a parliamentary constituency in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, where Muslims – India’s largest minority religious group – make up about 45 percent of the electorate. In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) carried out a high-pitched communally polarizing campaign and emerged as … Read more
An Indian state has approved an unprecedented uniform code for marriage, divorce, adoption, and inheritance for Hindus, Muslims, and other religious communities under new legislation that also requires couples that live together to register with the government or face punishment. Lawmakers in northern Uttarakhand state passed the legislation on Wednesday and its approval by the … Read more
The Pulse | Society | South Asia The Gyanvapi mosque in the city of Varanasi dates to the 16th century, but Hindu petitioners claim a Hindu temple once stood on the site. An aerial view shows Gyanvapi mosque, left, and Kashiviswanath temple on the banks of the river Ganges in Varanasi, India, Dec. 12, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar … Read more