Rising tensions on the Indian subcontinent with minorities like Muslims, Dalits, and Sikhs being increasingly targeted by political and mob violence has resulted in a spike of asylum cases from India states a newly released refugee claims analysis report.

The number of asylum seekers in Canada from India, a majority of them Sikhs, has soared by over 300% in the past two years alone, with international groups like Amnesty International actively launching campaigns like “Halt the Hate” against violence targeting India’s minorities.

In 2017, an alarming number of alleged hate crimes – including assault, rape, and murder – were reported against people from marginalized groups, said Amnesty International India. The group has launched an interactive data website, ‘Halt the Hate’.

The ‘Refugee Claims Analysis Report’ (RCAR), compiled by the Intelligence and Analysis section of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), shows that in the first six months of 2018, the number of refugee claims (asylum seeking applications) shot up to 1,805, surpassing the total figure of 1,487 claims made in the entire 2017.

The refugee claims made in the first six months of 2018 are over 310% of the total claims made in 2016, which stood at 582.

Canadian authorities are expecting the number of cases to jump up to 4,200 this year (2018) - an increase of nearly 720% over 2016 and nearly 285% compared to figures of 2017.

Most claimants were born in Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu,” the report stated.

The RCAR, pointed out: “A frequent basis of claim cited by Indian nationals is the fear of arbitrary arrest or abuse by the police based on accusations of supporting militant organizations. It should be noted that the vast majority of these claims are filed by Indian Sikhs.”

From being ranked 15th as a refugee source country in 2016, India is now No. 2 rank, behind Nigeria, which has 6,166 claims until June 2018.

In 2017, an alarming number of alleged hate crimes – including assault, rape, and murder – were reported against people from marginalized groups, especially Dalits and Muslims, said Amnesty International India today, as it launched an interactive data website, ‘Halt the Hate’.

The Amnesty report said:

“The first step to ensuring justice and ending impunity for hate crimes – where people are targeted because of their membership of a particular group – is to highlight their occurrence,” said Aakar Patel, Executive Director, Amnesty International India.

“Our website aims to draw attention to some of these crimes by tracking and documenting them. Many of these incidents are deeply disturbing: Dalits have been attacked for merely sporting mustaches, and Muslims lynched for transporting cattle. Dalit women have been branded as witches and raped and killed.

“Unfortunately, the extent of hate crime in India is unknown because the law – with some exceptions – does not recognize hate crimes as specific offenses. The police need to take steps to unmask any potentially discriminatory motive in a crime, and political leaders must be more vocal in denouncing such violence.”

In the case of India’s Sikhs, tensions are rising between the Indian government and the country’s Sikh population due to calls by factions within the community, particularly by the global Sikh diaspora, to hold an unofficial referendum in 2020 on the question of independence.

According to the ‘Refugee Claims Analysis Report’, “(Indian) government officials argue that the Sikh diaspora is attempting to revive the region’s former militant independence movement.”

“Critics argue that arbitrary detention and false charges of militancy are being used by the state to silence calls for self-determination.”

The basis of claim analysis also indicates that Sikhs regularly report detention, assault, and torture by police based on vague accusations of supporting militants.

“As government pushback against the Sikh community continues, fear of arbitrary arrest and abuse by authorities will likely prompt more Indian Sikhs to leave the country.

In light of current tensions between the Indian government and the Sikh community, it can also be expected that claimants will continue to include a large number of individuals born in Punjab or Haryana.

Other significant bases of claims include honor killings, political persecution of opposition party supporters, and discrimination based on sexual orientation, the report stated.

The National Post reported that there are suggestions the Trudeau Liberals are manipulating the process for political purposes.

“Sources suggest that in 2016, Canadian visa officers in India were told to facilitate people seeking temporary resident visas, at the same time as senior officials sympathetic to increased Sikh immigration were brought in to oversee the program.

This fall, visa officers in India were reportedly given verbal instructions to issue multi-entry visas valid for 10 years to all parents with children in Canada and to others with relatives in Canada,” the paper said.

Mathieu Genest, a spokesman for Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen, denied the suggestions and said the independence of visa officers is enshrined in law and no political direction was given.

“Canada is a preferred destination for Indian visitors, business travelers and students and we value their contributions to Canadian society,” he said. “While the overall number of Indian TRV (temporary resident visa) holders claiming asylum has risen, these claims represent less than one percent of all Indian travelers to Canada. The vast majority of Indian nationals visiting or migrating to Canada do so through regular means.”

The rising numbers come in the wake of the 34th anniversary of the anti-Sikh riots that broke out after the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984 by her two Sikh bodyguards.

The trigger for Gandhi's killing was the storming of the Golden Temple in Amritsar city for four months.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the anti-Sikh riots that followed with rights activists accusing the Congress Party of having turned a blind eye while others say some of its leaders helped orchestrate the violence.

Jagmeet Singh, the federal New Democratic Party leader, who is aiming to secure a parliamentary seat in Burnaby, wants the House of Commons to recognize the carnage carried out by the fanatic Hindu mobs in November-1984 as genocide.

The Indian government sees this move as alarming evidence of Sikh extremism on Canadian soil.

At the same time the US-based group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), with chapters in the U.K. and in Canada, is running a global campaign with regards to re-establishing Punjab as a nation state.

“Punjab Referendum 2020 is a campaign to liberate Punjab, currently occupied by India…Once we establish consensus on the question of independence, we will then present the case to the United Nations for re-establishing the country of Punjab,” states the group’s campaign website called referendum2020.org.

Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) is targeting Sikh communities and temples in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver to join some 100 cities worldwide to build consensus on the question of independence.

Canada has reaffirmed its support for a united India.