Zafar Ul Islam

Union Minority Minister Kiren Rijiju's recent reply in the Rajya Sabha about complaints and petitions received by the National Minorities Commission are vague, deceptive and unconvincing. He shelters behind opaque, dumb and deaf numbers which offer no real information about the work of the NCM. The NCM must publish on its website and in its annual printed reports exact details of each complaint received and what action it took about it. The seriousness of the Modi government about NCM can be gauged from the fact that the Commission at present is totally vacant. Chairman and all Members retired during December 2024 and April 2025. Even earlier, only cronies and people close to the ruling party were nominated to the Commission, as is common with the practice of the Modi government with all national institutions. A glance at the NCM website shows that its last annual report pertains to 2010-2011. The website offers little details about its activities, functioning, hearings and results of cases filed. This could be understood from a few examples: Under "Success Stories," the NCM website showcases some of its "important" achievements. The latest under this section is a report about the year 2022-23. Here we see NCM dealing with only one lynching incident, and that too of two Dalit victims, as the arrest in the case was made under SC/ST (POA) Act. The NCM was blind to hundreds of Muslim victims of lynching during the same period. Also, during the same period (2022-23), we find no mention of the bulldozer justice meted out to Muslims, their mosques, mazaars, dargahs and madrasahs, etc. in all BJP-ruled states. Likewise, under "Success Stories" for 2021-22 (the latest on the website), we find no hint of NCM's interest in lynchings, demolitions, etc… Under the section of "Press Releases", one fails to see any real interest in the real issues of the minorities. Let us look at the press releases issued during the current year (2025). NCM issued 12 press releases during the current year, which speak volumes about the nature of its interest in the grave matter of protection of minority rights in India. These are as follows: 1 January 2025: NCM received a petition by a Kerala Christian individual regarding police high-handedness against a local church in Thrissur on 24 December 2024. The Commission called for a report from the Chief Secretary, Kerala Government, about the incident. The website offers no more information about the fate of this case. 7 January 2025: Chairman NCM thanked Lt. Governor Delhi for renaming "Vidhwa Colony" in West Delhi to "Mata Gujri Colony." 12 February 2025: Chairman NCM demanded strict punishment for Sajjan Kumar… 19 February 2025: NCM said in a press statement that the Maharashtra Government has issued SOPs following NCM's request on showing due respect to Sikh religious sensibilities. 11 March 2025: NCM took "swift action" on gurudwara vandalism in Anup Shahr. 18 March 2025: Chairman NCM engaged with the Minority Community in Rajpura, Patiala. 19 March 2025: NCM convened a meeting of Buddhist leaders. 20 March 2025: NCM engaged with the Sikh community leaders to foster unity… 25 March 2025: NCM organised a national conference of state minorities commissions. No details offered. 10 April 2025: NCM commemorated Khalsa Srijan Diwas. 26 August 2025: NCM announced that the Government of Haryana has provided jobs to one member of 121 families of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. 7 November 2025: NCM organised "Inaugural Ceremony of Commemoration of 150 years of the National Song Vande Mataram" … These details are enough to show the plight of the NCM under the BJP regime. No amount of opaque figures can cover the shame to which this national institution has been relegated. The author is a former Chairman of the Delhi Minorities Commission

Zafar Ul Islam

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