India deemed “country of particular concern” by US Committee on Religious Freedom
India called the report "biased" and stated that it lacked an understanding of India's social fabric.
On Wednesday, a United States panel demanded the White House to identify India as a “country of particular concern” due to “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations” of religious freedom. The proposal was made in an annual report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent American government institution that monitors and recommends policies regarding the worldwide right to religious freedom. These proposals are not enforceable.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs dismissed the report, claiming that the committee was a “biassed organisation with a political agenda.” The panel was misrepresenting the facts, according to a ministry statement issued on Thursday. This is the panel’s fifth recommendation in a row, which the US government has yet to adopt.
According to the most recent report, religious freedom in India continued to deteriorate in 2023 as the Bharatiya Janata Party government reinforced “discriminatory nationalist policies, perpetuated hateful rhetoric, and failed to address communal violence disproportionately affecting Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, Jews, and Adivasis”.
The report listed cow vigilantism violence, mosque and church demolitions, and incidences of violence against Muslims and Christians as reasons why India should be named a “country of particular concern”.
According to the research, “thirteen out of India’s 28 states continued to enforce anti-conversion laws in 2023” despite the Constitution’s protection of the right to publicly share one’s faith. “Such laws make it difficult for people to convert from Hinduism to another religion and use broad language that leads to the targeting of religious minorities,” according to the statement.
It further stated that ethnic hostilities in Manipur between the Meitei and Kuki clans had been occurring since May 2023. Since the state’s confrontations began, at least 237 people have killed and almost 59,000 have been displaced.
Apart from recognising India as a “country of particular concern,” the panel urged that the US government apply sanctions on individuals and organisations responsible for religious freedom violations, as well as incorporate religious freedom concerns into bilateral and multilateral discussions. It also proposed setting limits on financial assistance and arms sales to India based on enhanced religious freedom in the country, among other proposals.
In June, the United States’ 2023 International Religious Freedom Report highlighted the repression of religious minorities in India. In response to the report’s conclusions, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that there has been a “concerning increase” in hate speech, anti-conversion laws, and demolitions of houses and places of worship for religious minorities in India.
India’s Response to the US Commission’s Report
India rejected the report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), calling it “deeply biassed,” lacking an “understanding of India’s social fabric,” and “visibly driven by votebank considerations.”
In response to media enquiries about the report, Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, stated that the report misrepresents facts about India and promotes a “motivated narrative.” “Our views on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) are widely known. It’s a biassed organisation with a political agenda. It continues to falsify facts and promotes a biassed narrative about India,” Randhir Jaiswal stated.
The MEA stated that the government had rejected the “malicious” report. “This report only serves to discredit USCIRF further,” said the politician. The spokesperson asked the commission refrain from adopting such “agenda-driven” initiatives, arguing that USCIRF would benefit from focusing its efforts on human rights issues in the United States.
India has frequently challenged the USCIRF’s reports, accusing the commission of taking a biased position on religious freedom in the country.
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