The government in Gujarat razed about 2,000 huts in a settlement that it said was occupied illegally by Bangladeshis. Credit…Sam Panthaky/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A backlash in India as tensions with Pakistan soar

Public anger has swelled in India after last week’s attack in Kashmir in which 26 people — all but one of them Hindu tourists — were killed by militants. Thousands of Muslims have been detained and their homes demolished in a growing backlash.

India appeared to be preparing to strike Pakistan, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowing to hunt down the militants and “raze” their safe havens. A Pakistani minister said on Tuesday that Pakistan believed an Indian strike was imminent.

India has said that Pakistan had a supporting hand in the attack, an accusation that Pakistan denies.

The killings of Muslims were reported in two states, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, with media reports suggesting they were hate crimes. Inside Kashmir, security forces have arrested hundreds and have blown up the homes of people they have accused of having terrorist affiliations.

Background: The backlash was targeted at Kashmiris and soon spread to a wider anti-Muslim sentiment. That, analysts said, has furthered a demonization of Muslims that Modi’s party has long used to unite India’s Hindu majority.

Related: More than 80,000 Afghans have been expelledfrom Pakistan since March 31. Many Afghan migrants have Pakistani spouses and have lived in the country for years. Nevertheless, the government says they must leave.