ISLAMABAD: Eid ul Adha, a religious festival for Muslims, has now turned into a political and communal flashpoint in India due to the growing intolerance and social polarisation.
Due to restrictions in most of the states in India the Muslims are not allowed to slaughter animals as per their religious beliefs, they are even harassed for keeping or trading animals.
According to experts the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are risking trapping India in a blind street of extremism, mistrust and permanent internal instability.
The issue has become more visible in urban settings, including a dispute over goats housed inside a residential society in Dindoshi reflects a deeper crisis within Indian society, where even ordinary religious traditions are increasingly being viewed through the lens of hostility and confrontation.
Calcutta High Court Upholds Ban on Cattle Slaughter
The Calcutta High Court recently rejected petitions challenging West Bengal’s regulations on cattle slaughter ahead of Eid-ul-Adha, observing that cow sacrifice is not an essential requirement of Islamic practice.
Such rulings are seen by critics as narrowing the scope of religious autonomy and reinforcing restrictive interpretations of practice in the public sphere.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind Urges Indian Muslims Not to Sacrifice Cows
Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind has urged Indian Muslims to avoid sacrificing animals that are restricted under existing state regulations during Eid al-Adha. The organisation advised adherence to local laws while carrying out religious practices, particularly in areas where restrictions on cattle slaughter are in place.
The guidance underscores the increasingly constrained environment in which religious communities are being asked to adjust their traditional practices under pressure.
According experts the appeal has been made under pressure from the ruling BJP party and other Hindu extremist groups which clearly affects the rights of the Muslim minority.
Critics have accused extremist Narendra Modi’s government of turning a blind eye to vigilante attacks on Muslims in the name of cow protection.
India is World’s Second Biggest Beef Exporter
India’s position as second largest world’s beef exporters stands in sharp contrast to domestic restrictions on cow slaughter.
In several states, restrictions and bans on cattle slaughter have been enforced, often affecting Muslim communities’ religious practice of animal sacrifice, particularly during Eid al-Adha.
This has raised concerns among rights groups and observers, who argue that such measures create a disparity between India’s economic role in the beef export market and the restrictions placed on religious freedoms within the country.
No More Religious Freedom
India’s constitutional claim of religious freedom and secularism is rapidly being challenged by rising Hindutva-driven intolerance, politicization of faith and shrinking social space for minorities.
The repeated targeting of Muslim religious practices, whether linked to Eid, mosques, hijab or halal consumption, is pushing Indian society toward dangerous communal fragmentation.
A joint study by the Association for Protection of Civil Rights and the Quill Foundation documented 947 hate-related incidents between June 2024 and June 2025, including 602 hate crimes and 345 instances of hate speech.
Muslims were the primary targets, accounting for 1,460 victims across 419 incidents, according to the study. Christians suffered 85 attacks but had a higher victim count of 1,504 individuals.
The study found that only 13 percent of these incidents led to formal police complaints. Many attacks reportedly involved political party affiliates.
The researchers said attacks ranged from mob violence over cow slaughter rumours to harassment during festivals and interfaith relationships.
Human Rights Watch’s report had also documented systematic discrimination and harassment of minorities under the BJP-led government.
