INDIAN REPUBLIC DAY- Black Day by Ashiq mehmood

India’s 74th Republic Day is being marked on 26 January when Indian Constitution came into effect in 1950, which was to make the country a secular state. India portrays herself as champion of human rights, whereas, minorities and non-Hindu communities living in India are persecuted by RSS backed fascist Modi government. Citizen for Justice and Peace (CJP) in India has released its annual report titled, “A Year of Othering and Violence for Religious Minorities in India.” According to the report, 2022 was the year of hatred, discrimination and violence against religious minorities in India. Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2023, Indian authorities intensified and broadened their crackdown on activist groups and the media in 2022. South Asia Director at HRW Meenakshi Ganguly said, “BJP government’s promotion of Hindu majoritarian ideology provokes authorities and supporters to engage in discriminatory and at times violent actions against religious minorities”. Indian authorities misused laws, forbidding forced religious conversion to target Christians, especially from Dalit and Adivasi communities. Moreover, Sikhs have also termed India’s Republic Day as “Betrayal Day for Sikhs”. On the other hand, Kashmiris are also observing Indian Republic Day as “Black Day”. APHC has called for the observance of “Black Day” to impress upon the world to take notice of India’s continued denial of right to self-determination to Kashmiri people.  Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party led by jailed leader Shabbir Ahmed Shah also appealed to the Kashmiris living all over the world to observe Indian “Republic Day” as Black Day. PM Modi-led Indian government has violated all international norms and commitments on the global issue of Jammu Kashmir, scrapped special status of internationally-acknowledged disputed status of the Jammu Kashmir on 05 August 2019. The day marks complete solidarity with the freedom-loving people of IIOJK in their just and principled struggle for freedom and to achieve of their legitimate right to self-determination.