Since coming to power in 2014, India’s BJP-led government, deeply influenced by the supremacist ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has overseen a sweeping transformation of the country’s social and political fabric – one that increasingly marginalizes Minorities especially Muslims, suppresses dissent, and imposes majoritarian rule. From the abrogation of Article 370 and militarization of Kashmir to the violent crackdowns on protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the signs of a calculated effort to redraw India’s democratic boundaries have become unmistakably clear.
The most recent, and perhaps the most damning, development in this trajectory is India’s alleged expulsion of Rohingya refugees into the open sea – a story reported by The New York Times on May 17, 2025. Survivors describe being detained by Indian authorities, stripped of identity and rights, and forced onto naval vessels before being cast adrift into the Andaman Sea with only life jackets. Some were pushed into the dense, unguarded forests along the Bangladesh border; others reportedly floated toward Myanmar – the very nation from which they had fled genocide.
This is not just an immigration issue or a refugee policy failure. It is a moral indictment of a state that has allowed ethno-religious hatred to become public policy.
The victims of these expulsions are not anonymous border-crossers. Many held official refugee cards issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). They were documented, tracked, and recognized under international humanitarian standards. But in today’s India, even international recognition offers no shield when your faith does not align with the Hindutva vision.
The Andaman Sea, increasingly a zone of refugee drift, may become a watery grave if the international community fails to act.
India’s shift from a secular republic to a nation openly following the RSS ideology is no longer a subtle or disputed process. It is explicit. It is institutionalized. It is dangerous. Consider the pattern: In Assam, over a million people – mostly Muslims – were excluded from the National Register of Citizens (NRC), effectively rendering them stateless. In Delhi, mobs incited by ruling party figures carried out anti-Muslim pogroms in 2020, with minimal accountability. In IIOJK, over 90,000 troops enforce a brutal siege that has led to widespread detentions, communication blackouts, and extrajudicial killings. And now, Rohingya refugees – among the most persecuted people on the planet – are reportedly being dumped into international waters in violation of both the principle of non-refoulement and basic humanitarian decency.
These acts are not isolated errors. They are part of a calculated ideological campaign – one that seeks to consolidate a Hindu Rashtra by excluding, vilifying, or neutralizing those deemed “outsiders.”
The recent wave of deportations also coincides with rising tensions between Pakistan and India following the conflict earlier this month. This is no coincidence. Under pressure from mounting military and diplomatic challenges, India’s ruling elite is once again resorting to scapegoating minorities to rally domestic support. This tactic is neither new nor sophisticated – but in the age of 24/7 media control, it remains dangerously effective.
This is where India’s Godi Media – plays its most shameful role. Rather than report on the Rohingya crisis with humanity or journalistic integrity, most Indian news channels either ignored it or spun it as a security measure. This same media ecosystem, infamous for spreading disinformation during events like the Pulwama attack or the recent Pahalgam incident, now helps justify actions that could amount to crimes against humanity.
India’s actions are also destabilizing the region. Bangladesh, already overburdened with nearly a million Rohingya in Cox’s Bazar, now faces new arrivals with no warning or coordination. Myanmar remains unsafe for returns. The Andaman Sea, increasingly a zone of refugee drift, may become a watery grave if the international community fails to act. Global silence on this issue would be complicit. The UN has called for investigations. Human rights organizations have raised the alarm. But world must choose between strategic silence and moral clarity. International refugee law is not optional. Neither is human dignity. India’s leadership must be held accountable – not just for this incident, but for the broader pattern of weaponizing identity, abandoning international obligations, and eroding the principles enshrined in its own Constitution.
Today, the images of Rohingya children floating in life vests in the middle of the sea will remain a permanent stain unless action follows words. These refugees were not just victims of regional instability; they were victims of a state that forgot its humanity. For those who still believe in justice, dignity, and international law, the question is no longer whether India’s democratic values are under threat – the question is how many more vulnerable lives will be lost before the world says enough.
The writer is an alumnus of QAU, MPhil scholar & a freelance columnist, based in Islamabad. He can be reached at [email protected].