Why PM Modi’s dig at ‘infiltrators’ in Independence Day speech could spell trouble – Alt News

Speaking from the ramparts of the Red Fort on India’s 79th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an unusual declaration while discussing his government’s achievements in all sectors, from space to semiconductors, and in the strategic Operation Sindoor. He warned that there was a conspiracy to change India’s demography and that strong action would be taken against ‘ghuspethiye’ or infiltrators plotting against the nation. Without mentioning any community, the Prime Minister said, “These infiltrators are snatching away the livelihoods of our youth. These infiltrators are targeting our sisters and daughters… These infiltrators are misleading innocent tribals and seizing their lands. The nation will not endure this.”

A high-powered Demography Mission will work towards addressing the important challenge of demographic changes, especially in border areas. pic.twitter.com/aSdh07AZxL

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 15, 2025

The PM’s rhetoric comes at a time when minority groups in India, including Muslims, Bengali-speaking migrants, Christian priests and nuns and tribes in the Northeast, already bear the brunt of majoritarian muscle-flexing on a daily basis. Alt News has already documented several cases falsely peddled as ‘Love Jihad’ and instances where vigilantes have taken it upon themselves to protect cows or Sanatan Dharma. At such a time, the PM’s call to action directed at ‘infiltrators’, on a day of significant national importance, could end up legitimizing such attacks.

Rise in Attacks Against Minorities

Take the case of 21-year-old Suleiman Rahim Khan. Just four days before Modi’s speech, he was beaten to death allegedly by members of a Hindutva group in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district on January 11, after being seen with a Hindu woman from the same village. His family was also assaulted by the perpetrators. The victim’s family alleged that some of the perpetrators also work as gau rakshaks or self-styled cow vigilantes.

A little over two weeks ago, two Catholic nuns from Kerala, Vandana Francis and Preethi Mary, and a tribal man named Sukhman Mandavi, were arrested at Chhattisgarh’s Durg railway station on charges of religious conversion and human trafficking, while they were taking three tribal women to Agra for work. The police action was triggered after a platform ticket examiner called Bajrang Dal members, who confronted the group and accused them of conversion and trafficking. In a viral video, a Bajrang Dal leader, Jyoti Sharma, was seen grilling the nuns and examining documents in the presence of police. The families of the women confirmed they were already Christians, disputing conversion allegations. Videos and statements from the women showed they travelled willingly for jobs, contradicting Bajrang Dal claims that they were being forced or trafficked. The women alleged in a counter-complaint that Bajrang Dal activists harassed and assaulted them and coerced them into making false statements.

On July 31, in West Bengal’s Durgapur district, self-styled cow vigilantes led by BJP youth leader Parijat Ganguly, assaulted, tied up, and paraded several Muslim men in Durgapur, West Bengal, accusing them of smuggling cattle. The attack, close to a police station, was widely documented in videos showing the victims being beaten, tied, and forced to chant religious slogans while the mob “rescued” cattle from their truck.

On July 10, West Bengal Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari urged people of the state to ‘not go to Kashmir and Muslim majority areas’, citing safety concerns after the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam. He suggested visiting other states, such as Himachal Pradesh or Uttarakhand.

Alt News, in collaboration with Bellingcat, also investigated a network of five cow vigilante groups that operate across Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, and informally work together to carry out violence against truck drivers.  These groups of gau rakshaks or “cow protectors” seem to carry out charitable work such as operating ambulances for cows, feeding stray animals and distributing food to people during the day. But in the dark of the night, they chase, shoot at and beat up truck drivers they claim were “smuggling” cows for slaughter. Some of the leaders of these vigilante groups also said they were working closely with the local police.

In late May, four Muslim men in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, were violently assaulted by a mob linked to Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), accused of transporting cow meat. Graphic videos showed the victims badly beaten and stripped. However, lab reports later confirmed they were carrying buffalo meat, not banned cow meat. Despite this, the assailants filed a police complaint against the victims, besides allegedly demanding Rs 50,000 from the meat suppliers, looting them, and setting their vehicle on fire.

Last year, ahead of Christmas, vigilantes from Bajrang Dal and VHP disrupted Christmas celebrations in schools across India, especially in Gujarat, in what seemed like a concerted effort. Videos showed these groups removing decorations, halting festivities, and forcing schools to prioritise Hindu cultural values, including chanting slogans and reciting hymns. Several schools confirmed these disruptions, often citing fear of repercussions and directives from higher authorities, while VHP Gujarat denied official involvement and distanced itself from linked social media accounts.

These are just a few of the many instances where Right-wing activists took it upon themselves to protect their faith and community from the ‘other’. One could argue that the Prime Minister focused on the issue of infiltrators and illegal immigrants — a concern the current government has consistently prioritised — and not Muslims. But it is important to highlight that in the past few months, Bengali-speaking migrants from West Bengal, particularly Muslims, have disproportionately borne the brunt of a concerted effort to identify and deport illegal immigrants. Initiated by law enforcement agencies in several BJP-ruled states and Union territories, this ‘drive’ swiftly filtered down to fringe elements who, lacking technical knowledge of the Bengali language and its dialects, took it upon themselves to harass and assault vulnerable communities.

Interestingly, this is not the first time the Prime Minister has used the word ‘ghuspethiye‘ in his speech.

Modi’s History With Remarks on ‘Ghuspethiye’

While addressing a rally in Banswara, Rajasthan, on April 21, 2024, in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, Modi used the term ‘ghuspethiyon’ to target Muslims. During his address, Modi accused the Congress party of taking away people’s gold and ‘mangalsutras’.

“When they (Congress) were in power, they said Muslims had the right to the state’s properties. This means they would collect these properties and give them to those who produce more children… They will give it to the ghuspethiyo. Do you want to give away your hard-earned money to the intruders? This is what the Congress manifesto says — we will measure the amount of gold your mothers and daughters own and distribute their wealth,” he had said. He crudely used the phrase ‘those who produce more children’ to refer to Muslims.

Banswara was not an isolated instance of such rhetoric. On May 11, 2024, Modi delivered another speech in Chatra, Jharkhand, explicitly targeting Muslims. “The Congress supported the infiltrators, and as a result, the infiltrators have occupied the lands of Dalits and Adivasis”, he was heard saying while delivering an openly communal speech.

He further employed similar divisive language during speeches in multiple West Bengal constituencies. Addressing people in Mathurapur on May 29, 2024, he said: “…today these infiltrators are snatching the opportunities meant for the youth of Bengal. They are taking up your land and properties…”.

In Jhargram on May 20, he said, “They (Trinamool Congress) are accommodating ghuspethiyon (infiltrators) here, near the borders the population of the people of Bengal is reducing… TMC and Congress are trying to make it legal for infiltrators to take up space”.

Then in Medinipur on May 19, he claimed, “TMC refers to people from other states as outsiders but they find illegal ghuspethi (infiltrators) to be their own…” He also used the same rhetoric in Dumka, Jharkhand, on May 28 and Ghazipur on May 25.

When seen in context, the Prime Minister’s use of the same term in his Independence Day speech could serve as a clarion call to fringe groups targeting vulnerable communities. Worse, it almost gives them license to do so.

Demography Mission

Modi not only stoked fears of infiltrators grabbing land and targeting women, but also claimed that such outsiders were redefining the country’s demography. To counter this, he said his government would launch a ‘high-powered demography mission’.

He did not cite any data or study to back his claims and provided few details about what this demographic mission would entail. The announcement of the mission is interesting, considering the decennial Census has been delayed by four years now. Also, experts, over the years, have countered claims of Hindus being outnumbered by other communities on several occasions. They say that growth and fertility rates across communities are on a decline, and arguments that the country is facing major demographic shift stand on shaky ground and are nothing but a political tool.

But Modi’s speech made clear the BJP’s motives ahead of elections in Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu — that there would be some crackdown against those who are unable to furnish proof of their identities. The special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar has already been dubbed a crude form of a citizenship exercise.

As Opposition leaders already highlighted, the Prime Minister’s speech on Independence Day reeked of political narrative. His hat-tip to the BJP’s parent organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, on completing 100 years, lauding the Hindutva organisation for being, possibly, the “world’s biggest NGO” made it amply clear.

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