The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has firmly opposed a report from a U.S. federal agency claiming a decline in religious freedom in India. The report, released by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), has been labeled as biased and politically motivated by the Indian government.
Responding to the report, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "Our views on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) are well known. It is a biased organisation with a political agenda. It continues to misrepresent facts and peddles a motivated narrative about India. We reject this malicious report, which only serves to discredit USCIRF further."
The USCIRF report, titled "Country Update on India," claims that during 2024, individuals were killed, beaten, and lynched by vigilante groups, religious leaders were arbitrarily arrested, and places of worship were demolished. The report accuses the Indian government of using misinformation and hate speech to incite violence against religious minorities and making changes to laws, including the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and state-level anti-conversion laws, to marginalize these groups.
The MEA has urged the USCIRF to stop pursuing what it sees as "agenda-driven efforts" and suggested that the commission focus on addressing human rights issues within the United States.
Details of the Report
The seven-page USCIRF document also discusses the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), particularly highlighting the arrest of former JNU research scholar Umar Khalid, who was detained in connection with speeches related to the 2020 Delhi riots. The report suggests that the National Register of Citizens (NRC), when combined with the CAA, could be used to target non-citizens, posing risks particularly to India's Muslim population.
Other issues addressed include the expropriation and demolition of places of worship, the Waqf Amendment Bill, the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), and various laws targeting religious minorities.
The report concludes that religious freedom conditions in India have worsened, with the government continuing to enforce what it considers discriminatory laws, including anti-conversion and cow slaughter laws, which, according to the report, further restrict religious communities.
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