India: Telangana defies Modi’s anti-minority policy by granting schedules for Ramadan

The government of the state of Telangana has just adopted a measure allowing Muslim employees of the public service to leave their work earlier during the month of Ramadan. The directive, signed by secretary general Santhi Kumari, authorizes departures from 4 p.m. from March 2 to 31, 2025.

This provision concerns all Muslim civil servants, whether teachers, contract workers or employees of public enterprises. An exception is however provided for essential services, where the presence of agents remains compulsory if necessary.

This Telangana initiative is detached from the current Indian political landscape. Since the coming to power of Narendra Modi and his Hindu Nationalist Party (BJP), religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians, face increasing pressures. In this context, the development of working time for Ramadan appears as a strong gesture of institutional recognition, extremely rare nationally. Telangana, with its Muslim population by around 12%, stands out from the hard line adopted by many other Indian states where interreligious tensions are constantly intensifying.