Stages of a Genocide

Genocide is one of the worst happenings imaginable, that can happen to a group of people. Even though there are laws against genocides, and it is known as a crime against humanity, genocides continue to occur, targeting people on the basis of their ethnicity, race or religion. The genocide of Hindus is one such genocide, that has occurred repeatedly, and more so, within the Indian subcontinent itself.

It rarely happens that a genocide is recognized, acknowledged and stopped while it is in progress. This is partly due to the fact, that masses do not understand the progression of a genocide, nor the different aspects of it, collectively referred to as the “stages” of a genocide. Though these stages follow chronologically, it is possible for several stages to occur together, at the same time, also.

Gregory Stanton, a researcher in genocide studies, in his paper describes ten stages of a genocide, based on the definition of the word genocide as given by Raphael Lemkin in 1944.

As described by Gregory Stanton, these are the ten stages of a genocide:

1. Classification: When a community of people is “singled out” or understood to be different, and often have to face difficult social situations for being different. For example, Hindus in Pakistan are seen scornfully by the Muslim majority population.
2. Symbolization: When a targeted community is required to wear a special insignia that symbolizes their religion/ ethnicity/ belief system so as to single them out in a group. For example, in the 1971 Bangladesh Hindu genocide, Hindu homes were marked with a bold yellow “H”, to identify those homes, and the women in those homes were brutally raped by the Pakistan army and Islamists.
3. Discrimination: When a certain ethnic or religous group is selectively omitted from certain opportunities, like jobs, permissions to do businesses, or taxes applicable to certain racial groups etc, that is considered to be discrimination.
4. Dehumanization: When a certain ethnic/ racial/ religious group uses their ideology to consider another ethnic/ racial/ religious group as less than human, and treats them as such, it is considered to be dehumanization. A glaring example is the dehumanization of African Americans by the colonizers. The image depicts an African child from Congo in a cage, on display in a human zoo in Brussels, in Brussels World Fair, 1958. Another lesser known example is the interment of Japanese Americans during the World War II, in concentration camps called “relocation camps,” with subhuman living conditions.

5. Organization: Genocide is never an accidental act of mob violence. It is always organized—either by the state, or by groups that are protected by the state. Hate crimes that occur repeatedly, and with a sense of impunity, are rarely isolated. In many parts of the Indian subcontinent, Hindus have faced organized targeting: the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus in the 1990s was not just a result of isolated violence, but the outcome of deliberate planning, propaganda, and armed intimidation. Similarly, in Bangladesh and Pakistan, the attacks on Hindu temples and homes often occur with astonishing coordination, with mobs arriving in numbers, armed and briefed, while law enforcement turns a blind eye. Organization sets the stage for mass violence by ensuring logistics, manpower, and ideological justification are in place.

6. Polarization: In this stage, extremists drive wedges within society to separate communities even further. Hate speech increases. Interfaith dialogues and moderates within both communities are silenced or attacked. Social media becomes a potent tool to spread venom and deepen mistrust. For instance, in parts of Bangladesh and Pakistan, Hindus have often been accused of blasphemy on the basis of flimsy or false evidence—triggering mob violence and arrests. The polarization is not just communal, it is institutional—textbooks, sermons, and political rhetoric portray Hindus as the ‘other’, and a threat to the social fabric. Once society is deeply polarized, it becomes easier to justify violence.

7. Preparation: At this stage, the targeted group is marked for elimination. Lists are made. Symbols and labels are re-emphasized. Camps may be constructed. Propaganda is unleashed to frame the violence as ‘self-defense’ or ‘divine justice’. In Nazi Germany, Jews were prepared for deportation through registries and identity cards. In the context of Hindus, the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh again stands out—villages were surveyed, homes were marked, and escape routes were blocked. More recently, in some areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, conversions have been forced in a planned manner, entire villages emptied of their Hindu populations. It is not a chaotic outburst; it is structured, mapped, and executed.

8. Persecution: This is when the targeted group is actively oppressed—through laws, intimidation, imprisonment, displacement, and violence. Their properties are confiscated, their rights stripped, and they are driven out of public life. In Pakistan, the Hindu population has dropped from over 20% during Partition to around 1.5% today. Forced conversions of Hindu girls, desecration of temples, and judicial inaction are all signs of systemic persecution. In Afghanistan, the ancient Hindu and Sikh populations have been virtually wiped out due to decades of persecution. In Kashmir, persecution took the form of nightly threats, targeted killings, and terror campaigns aimed at erasing the Hindu presence. At this stage, genocide becomes visible—but still, many look away.

9. Extermination: At this point, the killing begins—and it is called extermination precisely because the perpetrators do not see their victims as fully human. In 1971, an estimated 2.4 million Hindus were murdered in Bangladesh, their only fault being their religious identity. In the Partition riots of 1947, targeted killings of Hindus in newly-formed Pakistan were so widespread that entire communities vanished overnight. Extermination is fast, brutal, and seeks to remove not only lives, but the memory of those lives. The goal is total erasure.

10. Denial: The final stage of genocide is denial—by governments, by perpetrators, by society. The deaths are downplayed, the motives erased, the crimes justified. No reparations are made, no justice delivered. The world moves on, and the survivors are left to carry the burden of memory. The Hindu genocide has rarely been acknowledged as genocide—whether it’s the 1971 Bangladesh genocide, the repeated persecution of Pakistani Hindus, or the ethnic cleansing in Kashmir. Denial not only silences the past, it ensures that the future can repeat it. To break the cycle, truth must be spoken, and remembered.

Denial of a genocide enables further persecution and genocides. The fact that majority of the Hindus are still grossly unaware of the extent and type of persecution faced by their own community and ancestors, is confirmation of the complete and systemic denial of Hindu genocide. Hindus do not have prominent memorials or museums where they talk about their history. Hindus do not have any days officially dedicated to the memory of those who were brutally murdered at the hands of perpetrators. In order to prevent further denial of genocides, it is important to remember the correct history, and ensure that the past in fact does not repeat itself again. Never again.

References:

The ten stages of genocide

Ten Stages of a Genocide | Genocide Watch