A female engineer in the Indian state of Gujarat committed suicide after her in-laws allegedly pressured her to perform Sati, an ancient, now illegal practice in Hinduism where a widow sits on top of her deceased husband’s funeral pyre.
A new global religion survey by Ipsos discovered that 8 out of 10 urban Indians believe in the existence of God and claim to be comfortable around different faiths amidst rising Hindu nationalism and sectarian violence in the country.
New violence against two ethnic groups sparked in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, reportedly killing 54 people, displacing 23,000 more, and burning at least 25 churches, reigniting tensions that terrorized the state for decades.
In a rare display of unity amongst India’s major religions, leaders from the country’s Muslim, Christian, Sikh, and Jain communities join hands with Hindu nationalist groups in opposing calls to recognize same-sex marriage in the country.
This move comes as India’s Supreme Court hears petitions filed by various LGBTQIA+ organizations in the country, pleading to legalize same-sex marriage. These petitions were filed around five years after a landmark case in 2018 that decriminalized homosexuality in India.
Months after cow vigilante and Hindu nationalist influencer Monu Manesar became notorious on social media after being accused of murder and posting his exploits against cow traders and smugglers, another Hindu nationalist figure went from obscurity to superstar-like fame, thanks to social media giants frequently ignoring their own moderation rules and community guidelines.
With the continuing surge of Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) ideology in India since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was elected in 2014, the country is also seeing a rise of female militant Hindu nationalists taking up positions in government and even leading the fight for their ideals.
The state of Gujarat in western India was shocked upon hearing the news of a husband and wife committing suicide by decapitation as part of a gory sacrificial ritual. The couple’s family members reported that they had been offering prayers in their hut every day since last year.
A riot between Hindu devotees and a mob occurred in the suburb of Malad West in the megacity of Mumbai, India, during the Ram Navami festivities, where a few men suffered injuries.
An armed mob of about 1,000 people stormed and ravaged a madrasa (Islamic religious school) in India, setting the institution’s 110-year-old library on fire and causing widespread damage, including a collection of over 4,500 books.