MEA strongly rejects USCIRF report on religious freedom in India as 'propaganda'
- In Reports
- 07:35 PM, May 02, 2024
- Myind Staff
India has rejected a report from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) that raised concerns about religious freedom in the country. Officials stated that the panel was engaging in propaganda and seeking to interfere in the general election.
In its 2024 report, the USCIRF, an independent bipartisan US federal government agency, expressed ongoing concerns about India's religious freedom. The commission noted a perceived regression in the country's stance on religious liberty, citing instances of backsliding.
It repeated its recommendation for the US State Department to designate India as a "Country of Particular Concern" (CPC) concerning religious freedom. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal criticized the USCIRF, labeling it as a biased organization with a political agenda.
Jaiswal made these remarks during a routine media briefing in response to queries about the report's release. He expressed skepticism that the USCIRF would comprehend India's diverse, pluralistic, and democratic values, dismissing its efforts to interfere in the world's largest electoral process.
New Delhi has consistently criticised reports from organizations like the USCIRF, alleging bias against India, and has routinely rejected such reports in recent years. Despite recommendations from the USCIRF, the US State Department did not designate India as a "Country of Particular Concern" (CPC) in 2023, despite reporting on severe religious freedom violations in the country.
The USCIRF's latest report recommends designating Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Nigeria, and Vietnam as CPCs. According to the report, religious freedom conditions in India deteriorated in 2023, with the government reinforcing discriminatory nationalist policies and failing to address communal violence disproportionately affecting various religious and ethnic groups.
The report claimed that the enforcement of various laws including the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, Citizenship Amendment Act, and anti-conversion laws led to the arbitrary detention, monitoring, and targeting of religious minorities.
It highlighted that NGOs documented 687 incidents of violence against Christians in 2023, with over 500 churches and two synagogues destroyed.
Additionally, clashes in Manipur in June 2023 resulted in the displacement of more than 70,000 people. The USCIRF also recommended conditioning financial assistance and arms sales to India on improved religious freedom conditions.
Image source: ANI
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