India may wish everyone to believe it is still a secular democracy but given its prime minister Narendra Modi’s radical vision of establishing a Hindu nation, these attempts have begun to fall flat. That reservations on countless stories of terrorised Indian Muslims echoed from Iran, a country it shares strong bilateral relations with, not only lends credence to what Pakistan has been screaming to the international community for a long time but also hints that days of its apparent impunity are numbered. The entire propaganda machinery has sprung into action in reaction to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s comments regarding the treatment of Muslims living under its flag. But while New Delhi and its allies may use criticism from Iran as an opportunity to turn all guns blazing on its human rights record (which similarly needs to be revisited), does looking in its own backyard only apply to those countries who dare say out the obvious? Has India ever been stopped by rising Hindu nationalist violence against religious minorities within its borders from making a foul (and often, unfounded) commentary on others? Before rushing to defend New Delhi, Israeli diplomat Reuven Azar could have taken a look at newspaper headlines littered with his country’s war crimes. Why is it that Indian Muslims continue to be subjected to violent assaults for praying, marrying, eating beef, protesting or even for the unforgivable crime of being alive and the world keeps getting mesmerised by the colourful tapestry of “Incredible India?” The farcical elections held in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir are a similar attempt by the Modi administration to consolidate its illegal authority as it replaces the Kashmiris’ much-deserved right to self-determination with a tyrannical remote-controlled government. No media hype can deny that New Delhi will remain a key legislator with the “elected government” only controlling areas like education and culture, that too, partially. What is happening in the picturesque valley serves as a microcosm of Indian society wherein Muslim identity and their constitutionally guaranteed rights are being trampled through an intricately woven exercise in smoke and mirrors. *