iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
The US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in its year-end update has alleged that religious freedom and human rights in India are under threat. On Thursday India’s ministry of external affairs (MEA) dismissed the report by calling it “biased” and driven by a “motivated agenda”.
MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi accused the USCIRF of misrepresenting facts. He added that the report displayed a lack of understanding of India’s democracy and constitutional frameworks.
The USCIRF released its new report containing the India Country Update which provides a broad overview of religious freedom conditions in India in 2021 and 2022. It examines how various policies adopted and implemented by the Indian government have cultivated an environment that is increasingly hostile toward religious minority communities. This trajectory, alongside an escalating government crackdown on civil society and dissent, is deeply alarming in a diverse, secular, and democratic country whose constitution is intended to protect religious freedom.
The USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the US Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief.
On November 22 the USCIRF released its country update for India. This country update provides a broad overview of religious freedom conditions in India in 2021 and 2022. It examines how various policies adopted and implemented by the Indian government have cultivated an environment that is increasingly hostile toward religious minority communities. “This trajectory, alongside an escalating government crackdown on civil society and dissent, is deeply alarming in a diverse, secular, and democratic country whose constitution is intended to protect religious freedom,” the report states.
The conclusion of the report is quite stark: “Religious freedom and related human rights in India are under ongoing threat for a variety of reasons, including various government policies that do not protect religious minorities.”
USCIRF recommended in its 2022 Annual Report that the US Department of State designates India as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, for engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations, as set forth by the International Religious Freedom Act. Such a designation would reinforce the United States’ concern regarding the conditions discussed in this country update and would encourage the Indian government to diverge from policies that violate religious freedom and promote communal divides.”
The report that was released on November 22 claims that in 2022 religious freedom conditions in India remained poor. “During the year, the Indian government at the national, state, and local levels continued to promote and enforce policies, including laws targeting religious conversion, interfaith relationships, and cow slaughter, that negatively affect Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, and Adivasis (indigenous and scheduled tribal people).”
The report also spoke of the arrest and treatment of Mohammed Zubair and Father Stan Swamy among others as evidence of threats to religious freedom in India.
Not mincing any words, the report blames the Indian government for continuing to suppress critical voices—particularly religious minorities and those advocating on their behalf—including through surveillance, harassment, demolition of property, arbitrary travel bans, and detention under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and by targeting nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) under the Financial Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA).
The pilot implementation of the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state of Assam continued to exacerbate fears of losing citizenship among Muslims, who lack protection under the 2019 Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).
The report also claims that numerous organizations that document religious freedom violations in India or aid marginalized religious communities have been forced to shut down their operations in the country under the FCRA, legislation that regulates access to foreign funds and prohibits their receipt for any activities purportedly “detrimental to the national interest.”
The report also highlights the Karnataka Hijab Ban. “In January 2022, officials at a government school in the state of Karnataka barred entry to Muslim female students wearing hijabs for violating the school dress code. The action led to protests in the state both for and against the hijab. In February, sectarian violence erupted between those supporting the right to wear the hijab and Hindu students wearing saffron turbans and shawls to counter them.”
