Why people in India’s Land of the Gods fear being ‘guinea pigs’ for Modi’s new law

A law forcing all Indians to abide by a common set of rules on personal matters such as marriage, inheritance and divorce is finally coming into effect in the hilly state of Uttarakhand. Shweta Sharma speaks to residents to understand its impact

File: Indian Muslim women participate in a rally to oppose the introduction of a ‘uniform civil code’ in 2016 (AFP via Getty)

In the foothills of the Himalayas, a picturesque Indian state known as the “Land of the Gods” has become the site for a controversial sociopolitical experiment by the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (the BJP).

This week, a new law in Uttarakhand has, for the first time since India’s independence, overridden the plurality of personal laws governing family matters for different religious groups by introducing a “uniform civil code” (UCC), meaning that all communities must follow the same rules when it comes to marriage, divorce, inheritance, and even cohabitation.

Formally, this is a measure brought by the BJP-led state government, but the towering billboards that promote the code here are all adorned with pictures of the prime minister. Modi is seeking a rare third term at elections due to take place in a month’s time, and his party has for a long time advocated rolling out the UCC nationwide.