India Archives - South Asia Times

Majoritarian Politics and the Erosion of Minority Dignity in India: The Bihar Hijab Incident

Nimra Khalil December 22, 2025

The forcible removal of a Muslim woman doctor’s hijab by Bihar’s Chief Minister was not an isolated lapse of conduct but a revealing moment in India’s evolving political culture. It underscored how majoritarian ideology increasingly normalizes the public humiliation of minorities, particularly Muslim women, and weakens constitutional guarantees of equality, religious freedom, and personal dignity.

India’s Missing People’s Revolution: Democracy, Electoral Erosion, and the Prospect of Popular Upheaval

Prof. (Dr.) Akhilesh Chandra Prabhakar December 17, 2025

India’s democracy was born without a revolution. As electoral integrity weakens and institutions hollow out, this absence of a popular rupture may now be returning as a structural crisis—one that could yet provoke mass political upheaval.

The New Bollywood

SAT Editorial Desk December 12, 2025

Bollywood, once India’s most effective soft-power tool, is undergoing a dramatic ideological overhaul. Films like Dhurandhar and The Taj Story reflect a new cinematic nationalism rooted in historical revisionism, internal othering, and aggressive anti-Pakistan narratives, reshaping both India’s identity and its global cultural reach.

Criminalising Dissent: How New Laws and “Public Order” Politics Are Shrinking Democratic Space in India

Jerome Enriquez John December 10, 2025

India is witnessing a steady erosion of democratic freedoms as broad security laws, digital surveillance, and administrative restrictions redefine dissent as a threat rather than a constitutional right. From expanded use of UAPA and IT Rules to routine protest crackdowns and shrinking academic space, the cumulative impact is a quieter and increasingly constrained civic sphere.

India’s Coercive Foreign Policy in 2025

Farwa Imtiaz December 9, 2025

India’s foreign policy in 2025 marks a clear break from its earlier soft-power orientation, shifting toward overt coercion and interference. Once seen as a restrained global actor, India now increasingly relies on hard power, diplomatic pressure, and transnational repression to shape external outcomes. Through cases in Canada, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Türkiye, this article shows how India has adopted a more assertive—and often destabilizing—approach to protect its expanding ambitions, using tools ranging from foreign interference to military escalation and economic coercion.

Dividend or Disaster? Why India’s Population Policy Needs a Jobs-first Approach

Ashutosh Gupta November 24, 2025

India’s youthful demographic profile presents enormous opportunities, but only if the country can generate enough quality jobs. While the Economic Survey 2024 highlights improvements in labour participation and unemployment, deeper structural issues persist, including informal work, regional disparities, and gender gaps. A jobs-first approach is essential to convert India’s demographic advantage into real and sustained economic gains.

Mirage of Indigenization

SAT Editorial Desk November 22, 2025

The crash of a Tejas fighter at the Dubai Air Show has exposed deep structural flaws in India’s flagship indigenous aircraft program. With two airframes lost in under two years and only a few hundred verifiable flying hours, the incident raises fresh questions about the LCA’s safety, its decades-long delays, and the strategic vulnerability created by India’s dependence on aging fleets. This piece explores how the Dubai crash fits into the broader struggle of a project that was meant to symbolize self-reliance but now risks becoming a cautionary tale.

India’s Broadcasting Advisory and the Crisis of Media Credibility

SAT Commentary November 19, 2025

The Red Fort blast and the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting’s subsequent advisory have reignited debate on India’s declining media standards. Sensationalism, unverified claims, and AI-driven misinformation overshadowed responsible reporting, revealing a deeper structural crisis within Indian journalism and its growing vulnerability to political influence.

Digital Deception

SAT Commentary November 19, 2025

The viral video alleging to show a Delhi blast suspect has sparked renewed debate on AI-driven disinformation. Forensic inconsistencies, ideological distortions, and the Indian media’s rush to broadcast the clip suggest a manufactured narrative aimed at securitizing Kashmiri identity and reshaping public perception through synthetic reality.

India’s Climate Policy after COP28: Net Zero 2070 — A Fair Promise or a Risky Postponement?

Manya Singhal November 4, 2025

India’s Net Zero 2070 target reflects a delicate balance between development equity and climate urgency. While progress in renewables, green finance, and adaptation is visible, the absence of clear interim milestones risks turning ambition into delay. The real challenge lies in translating a distant horizon into measurable, near-term climate action before 2030.