Despite the rich, vibrant, and ideologically diverse strands of India's political landscape and civil society groups, there is a worrisome trend of the Indian state suppressing dissenting voices, especially civil society groups, with minimal resistance. Indian political theorist and former Professor of Political Science at the University of Delhi Neera Chandhoke offers a compelling historical analysis of Indian civil society, revealing a rich tapestry woven with threads of resistance and pluralism. Emerging in opposition to colonialism and the restrictive state ideologies of its time, civil society in India has always been a dynamic constellation of diverse groups and ideologies. From the 19th century onwards, social and religious reform movements like the Brahmo Samaj and Arya Samaj played a crucial role in shaping societal norms. The early 20th century saw the rise of Gandhian organizations like the Harijan Sevak Sangh in 1932, dedicated to eradicating untouchability. This cause was central to Mahatma Gandhi's life's work, and it included desegregating public spaces like wells, schools, and temples, ensuring equal access for all. Industrialization fostered the growth of self-help organizations around trade unions in cities like Bombay (currently Mumbai) and Ahmedabad, while anti-caste movements like the Self-Respect Movement in Tamil Nadu challenged India's rigid social hierarchy and pushed for a more equitable society. Other civil society groups included associations like the Bombay Presidency Association that petitioned the colonial government to increase access to education and employment opportunities for the middle class, affiliated groups for women and youth established by The Indian National Congress during the independence era, and social and cultural organizations like the Hindu Mahasabha and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) that emerged with a distinct aim: establishing a Hindu nation. The presence of the RSS and other Hindu nationalist groups, in particular, showcases the diverse ideological spectrum that exists within Indian civil society. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) march in Bhopal. Image via Wikipedia by Suyash Dwivedi. CC BY-SA 4.0. Today, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — a Hindu nationalist government — at the helm, the relationship between civil society and the state is undergoing a concerning transformation. While groups associated with the BJP, like the RSS, have become more prominent, space for those opposed to the BJP’s ideology appears to be shrinking. This raises critical questions about the future of pluralism and dissent within Indian civil society. Back in September 2022, India's Income Tax (IT) Department conducted “surveys” at multiple locations, including Oxfam India, the Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF), and the Centre for Policy Research. Amnesty International's South Asia Regional Director, Yamini Mishra, alleged that the government's financial and investigative agencies were being weaponized to harass, intimidate, silence, and criminalize independent critical voices in the country, aiming to instil fear among these organizations’ staff and funders to impose a chilling effect and silence civil society at large. Legal Rights Protection Forum posted on X (Twitter): Frequent visits by foreign representatives of Caritas India’s global partners such as Caritas Australia to India raises needle of suspicion that the real purpose of their visits is to fulfil the twin objectives: LRPF writes to the Union Home Ministry https://t.co/kHHPJdzkYZ — Legal Rights Protection Forum (@lawinforce) March 29, 2024 Two years later, on March 29, officials of the crime investigating agency Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided the residence of former bureaucrat Harsh Mander and the office of a think tank, the Centre for Equity Studies (CES) in New Delhi, linked to him. The raids alleged financial irregularities under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) — allegations that the organization refuted. Notably, Mander has been a fierce critic of the Modi government's Hindu nationalist agenda since the BJP-ledgovernment came to power in 2014. A few days before the raids at CES, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), a law enforcement agency responsible for fighting economic crimes, arrested opposition politician Hemant Soren hours after he resigned as the chief minister of the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand. His jailing was met with severe backlash. Opposition leaders criticized the selective deployment of the ED, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the IT Department, alleging that these purportedly impartial government agencies were being weaponized to “destroy democracy,” weaken federalism, and jail the opposition.