The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the deep-rooted social inequalities in India, highlighting the disproportionate impact on marginalized communities, particularly scheduled castes and Muslims.
While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has been criticized for its mishandling of the pandemic, the newly published research in Science Advances underscores the extent to which the virus exacerbated existing social disparities. The study reveals that the actual death toll during the first wave of the pandemic in India could be eight times higher than the government’s official numbers, and it paints a grim picture of the pandemic’s impact on India’s most vulnerable populations.
The study, co-authored by ten demographers and economists from prestigious international institutions, found that India experienced 1.19 million excess deaths in 2020, compared to the 148,738 deaths officially reported. This discrepancy is not merely a statistical oversight but a critical failure of governance. The Narendra Modi-led government’s initial strict lockdown appeared to mitigate the virus’s impact, but the reality, as uncovered by the research, was far more severe.
The BJP government’s response to the Delta variant in 2021 further highlighted its inability to manage the crisis. Hospitals were overwhelmed, oxygen supplies ran out, and patients died without receiving adequate medical care. Despite these visible signs of a healthcare system in distress, the government reported a total of 481,000 deaths by the end of 2021. In contrast, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated the death toll to be between 3.3 million and 6.5 million, making India’s the highest in the world. The government’s dismissal of these estimates reflects a reluctance to confront the full extent of the pandemic’s devastation.
The study’s findings on life expectancy reveal stark disparities based on caste and religion. Upper-caste Hindus experienced a life expectancy reduction of 1.3 years in 2020, while scheduled castes saw a decrease of 2.7 years. However, Muslims faced the most significant decline, with their life expectancy dropping by 5.4 years. This indicates that marginalized communities, already disadvantaged before the pandemic, bore the brunt of the health crisis.
Aashish Gupta, a co-author of the study and a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow at the University of Oxford, noted that Muslims faced significant stigmatization and were shunned when infected. This lack of access to healthcare for marginalized groups is a direct consequence of longstanding social inequalities, which the pandemic only worsened. The trend is consistent with global patterns, where marginalized communities, such as Native Americans, Blacks, and Hispanics in the United States, experienced higher mortality rates during the pandemic.
The pandemic also had a disproportionate impact on women in India. The study found that women’s life expectancy fell by an additional year compared to men’s, which is contrary to the global trend where men’s life expectancy declined more. This discrepancy can be attributed to the entrenched gender-based discrimination and unequal resource allocation in India’s patriarchal society. Women, already vulnerable in many aspects of daily life, found themselves even more at risk during the pandemic.
One of the most pressing issues highlighted by the study is the lack of data transparency from the BJP government. Researchers expected that the pandemic would prompt the government to provide accurate mortality data. Instead, data that were previously available have become inaccessible, preventing a comprehensive understanding of the pandemic’s true impact. The study’s focus on 2020 is a result of these data gaps, with the authors suggesting that the death toll for 2021, particularly during the Delta wave, could be even higher.
Prabhat Jha, director of the Centre for Global Health Research in Toronto, supports this view, estimating nearly 3 million excess deaths during the Delta wave alone. This suggests that the overall death toll could be around 3.5 to 4 million, significantly higher than the official figures. The government’s refusal to release accurate data for public scrutiny only fuels mistrust and hinders effective policy responses.
The BJP government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has been marked by a lack of transparency and accountability. The underreporting of deaths, the disproportionate impact on marginalized communities, and the inadequate response to the Delta variant all point to a systemic failure. Greater transparency in data collection and reporting is essential for understanding the pandemic’s full impact and addressing the inequalities it has exacerbated.
Experts agree that the government needs to release accurate mortality data to allow for a proper assessment of the pandemic’s impact. This data is crucial for informing public health policies and ensuring that the most vulnerable communities receive the support they need. The pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for a more equitable healthcare system that addresses the needs of all citizens, regardless of their caste, religion, or gender.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the deep-seated social inequalities in India, with marginalized communities bearing the brunt of the health crisis. The BJP government’s mishandling of the pandemic, characterized by underreporting of deaths and a lack of data transparency, has only worsened the situation. Addressing these issues requires a commitment to transparency, accountability, and equitable healthcare policies that prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable. Only then can India begin to heal from the pandemic and build a more inclusive and resilient society.
