evidence: 4 states where Indian Muslims faced 'retaliatory' attacks following reports of anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh. [...] - 15 August, 2024 (Cachar, Assam): A Muslim youth was arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, after he was accosted by Hindu extremists while speaking to a Hindu girl, accusing him of involvement in ‘love jihad’. Despite video evidence of the incident, the assailants were not arrested. [...] - Other Hindu nationalist leaders, all aligned to the BJP, also continued to organise public events where local-level leaders demonised minorities by peddling common conspiracy theories—such as the ‘love jihad’ charge against Muslims, and the charge of unlawful mass conversions against Christians, and of India’s Hindu majority being at risk of demographic overhaul—and openly incited discrimination, hostility, and violence. Open calls for social and economic boycotts, as well as open calls for violence, were common and continued to be reported throughout the period under review. These events were organised by groups such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal (BD), militant outfits spawned by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)* to, according to scholars, act as its armed wing, as well as lead various grassroots-level ‘everyday communalism’ campaigns that keep majoritarian attitudes and religious hostilities alive. These shock troops continued to mobilise and radicalise young men and women on a massive scale. During the period under review, we documented 16 events where participants were distributed weapons, including guns and swords, and/or trained in their use.