America
India slams US report on religious freedom
New Delhi, April 30
India on Thursday said a
report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)
"appears to be based on limited understanding of India, its constitution
and its society" and it would take "no cognizance of the report".
External
affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said: "Our attention has
been drawn to a report of the USCIRF which has passed judgement on
religious freedom in India. It appears to be based on limited
understanding of India, its constitution and its society. We take no
cognizance of this report."
The USCIRF report says, among other
things, that "incidents of religiously-motivated and communal violence
reportedly have increased for three consecutive years".
"Non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) and religious leaders, including from the Muslim,
Christian, and Sikh communities, attributed the initial increase to
religiously-divisive campaigning in advance of the country's 2014
general election.
"Since the election, religious minority
communities have been subject to derogatory comments by politicians
linked to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and numerous violent
attacks and forced conversions by Hindu nationalist groups, such as
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).
"Christian
NGOs and leaders report that their community is particularly at risk in
states that have adopted 'Freedom of Religion Act(s)', commonly
referred to as anti-conversion laws.
"Based on these concerns,
USCIRF again places India on its Tier 2 list of countries, where it has
been since 2009," the report said.