Democratic Backsliding and Peoples’ Resistance in India
Disappearing Democracy in the “World’s Largest Democracy”
Date: Tuesday, September 10, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM EDT
Venue: Zoom Webinar
Description:
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi—Steve Bannon’s favorite foreign dictator—has been in power for eleven years, winning reelection twice. Over this period, India’s imperfect but functioning democracy has been systematically dismantled:
Press freedom has been attacked, and dissent criminalized.
Mob violence against Muslims and other religious minorities has been incited, with perpetrators shielded from justice.
The judiciary, bureaucracy, and educational institutions have been infiltrated and stripped of independence.
Repressive influence has extended beyond India’s borders, including targeted assassinations of Sikh dissidents in the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere, as well as growing sway over electoral politics in other countries.
Alliances with the global far right, including in the U.S., have been deepened.
Despite this, Indian social movements continue to resist, achieving key victories even as far-right Hindu nationalism remains entrenched in political power and popular culture.
As the U.S. faces its own slide toward authoritarianism, what lessons can we draw from India’s experience? This discussion will explore the parallels and strategies for resistance.
Speakers:
Ria Chakrabarty, Senior Policy Director, Hindus for Human Rights
Arjun Sethi, Adjunct Professor of Law, Georgetown University
Aabha Muralidharan, Independent Researcher, Writer, and Photographer
Moderator:
Basav Sen, Climate Policy Director, Institute for Policy Studies
Series Note: This session is the sixth in the monthly IPS series Lessons from Resistance to Authoritarianism Around the World.
Registration: Democratic Backsliding and Peoples’ Resistance in India - Institute for Policy Studies