King's College London

On 31 March, the Transnational Legal Clinic hosted the launch of the report, 'Alleged Violations of International Law Against Muslims in Uttar Pradesh and Assam, India 2022-25' from the Panel of Independent International Experts (PIIE). The PIIE’s members have led investigations into atrocities in Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and North Korea. The Panel was assisted in its legal analysis by students in the Transnational Legal Clinic, supervised by Leverhulme Visiting Professor Surabhi Chopra. 

Members of the panel examined violations against Muslim communities in Assam and Uttar Pradesh, two states that are home to more than 35 million Muslims and where, the Panel found, majoritarian governance has advanced the furthest amidst similar trends across India. 

Students from the clinic supported the work of the three experts over three projects examining developments in India from 2022 to 2026. Students analysed alleged abuses against Muslim individuals and communities in states where majoritarian mobilisation has advanced rapidly since 2022 with reference to international law.

The clinic’s first project focused on the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and analysed allegations of human rights abuses against Muslim communities in the region. The second project focused on the north-east Indian state of Assam, analysing allegations of violations against Bengali-speaking Muslims in the region. The third focuses on submissions to UN bodies, other multilateral institutions and civil society forums.

Key findings from the PIIE’s report include:

• Between May 2025 and January 2026, at least 2,450 Bengali-speaking Muslims were expelled from Assam. These large-scale expulsions constitute deportation or forcible transfer as a crime against humanity

• Reports from June 2025 indicate that at least 17,600 families had been uprooted since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in Assam in 2016. This pattern of forced evictions and home demolitions, alongside the systematic stripping of citizenship and residence rights from Bengali-speaking Muslims, constitutes persecution and apartheid as crimes against humanity

• In Uttar Pradesh in 2024 alone, at least 56 Muslims were deliberately shot and maimed in circumstances suggesting victims were already in custody and posed no threat. The Panel found that this constitutes torture as a crime against humanity

• The official targeting of Muslims who protested discrimination constitutes persecution as a crime against humanity

In response to the findings, the report recommends that:

• The UN Human Rights Council mandate an independent fact-finding body to investigate violations against Muslims in India to appoint a Special Rapporteur with a territorial mandate on India

• Foreign governments use diplomatic and economic leverage to urge India to protect Muslim minorities and, where warranted, to impose targeted sanctions against perpetrators.

• The Government of India should fulfil its obligations under the ICCPR and the Genocide Convention to conduct independent investigations and prosecutions, and provide reparations to victims.

Read the full report on the PIIE website.