India firmly condemned a report released by the U.S. government, which claimed that religious freedom in the country has continued to deteriorate. The report, issued by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Wednesday, urged the U.S. State Department to designate India as a “country of particular concern.”
In response, the Indian Foreign Ministry rejected the findings, describing the USCIRF as a “biased organization with a political agenda.” The ministry further accused the organization of misrepresenting facts and pushing a narrative that unfairly portrays India. “We reject this malicious report, which only serves to discredit USCIRF further,” the Foreign Ministry stated. The ministry also advised the commission to focus on issues within the U.S. rather than targeting India, saying it should “utilise its time more productively” by addressing human rights concerns in America.
The report claimed that the Indian government, under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has been working to implement policies that negatively affect religious minorities. It highlighted the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya, and the proposal for a unified civil code as examples of actions that have disproportionately impacted minority communities.
The USCIRF also criticized Indian political leaders for using hate speech and discriminatory rhetoric against Muslims and other religious minorities, especially in the run-up to the 2024 national elections. “The Indian government continues to repress and restrict religious communities through the enforcement of discriminatory legislation like anti-conversion laws, cow slaughter laws, and antiterrorism laws,” the report claimed.
This is not the first time the USCIRF has called for India to be labeled a “country of particular concern.” Since 2020, the commission has made the same recommendation annually, but New Delhi has consistently rejected it. The Indian government has long dismissed these allegations as baseless and motivated by an external agenda.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, speaking in Washington just hours before the release of the report, defended India’s right to respond to such criticism. Addressing an event at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Jaishankar said, “You have every right to comment. But I have every right to comment on your comment. So don’t feel bad when I do.” He further questioned why only certain democracies are allowed to critique others, stating, “It cannot be that one democracy has a right to comment on another, and that’s part of promoting democracy globally, but when others do that, then it becomes foreign interference.”
This latest USCIRF report follows other instances of U.S. criticism toward India’s handling of religious freedom and human rights. In April, the U.S. State Department’s Human Rights report for 2023 raised concerns about abuses in the northeastern state of Manipur and documented attacks on minorities, journalists, and dissenters in other parts of the country. India swiftly condemned the State Department’s report, labeling it as “very biased” and accusing it of demonstrating a “very poor understanding” of the situation in India.
The report’s release comes at a time of heightened international scrutiny over India’s religious policies. The CAA, passed in 2019, offers a path to citizenship for non-Muslim refugees from neighboring countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Critics argue that the act discriminates against Muslims by excluding them from the list of eligible refugees. The government has defended the act, saying it aims to provide refuge to persecuted religious minorities in the region, and has dismissed claims of bias.
The construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has also been a point of contention. The temple is being built on the site of the Babri Masjid, a mosque that was demolished by Hindu extremists in 1992, leading to widespread riots. The demolition remains a deeply divisive issue in India’s religious and political landscape, with many Muslims seeing it as an affront to their faith. However, the temple’s supporters argue that it represents a fulfillment of a long-standing promise to the Hindu community.
Another major issue highlighted by the USCIRF report is the government’s push for a unified civil code, which would replace the personal laws of various religious communities with a single, national legal framework. Supporters of the unified code argue that it would promote equality and social cohesion, while critics say it would infringe on the religious rights of minorities, particularly Muslims, who have their own personal laws governing matters like marriage, inheritance, and divorce.
India’s anti-conversion laws, cow slaughter laws, and antiterrorism laws were also criticized in the report for being used disproportionately against religious minorities. Several Indian states have enacted anti-conversion laws, which prohibit forced or fraudulent religious conversions. While these laws are ostensibly meant to protect vulnerable individuals, they have often been used to target Christian and Muslim communities, especially those involved in missionary work or interfaith marriages.
Cow slaughter laws, which are rooted in Hindu religious beliefs, have similarly come under fire. In many Indian states, the slaughter of cows is prohibited, as cows are considered sacred in Hinduism. Critics argue that these laws disproportionately affect Muslims, who are more likely to consume beef, and have led to incidents of mob violence, known as “cow vigilantism,” against those suspected of killing or transporting cows.
India’s antiterrorism laws, particularly the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), have been used to detain individuals accused of terrorism-related activities without trial for extended periods. Human rights groups have raised concerns that these laws are being misused to silence dissent, particularly in the context of religious and political protests.
Despite the growing international criticism, the Indian government remains steadfast in defending its policies. Officials argue that the country’s laws and regulations are necessary for maintaining law and order and promoting national unity. The government has also pointed out that India is a secular democracy, where all religions are respected and given equal treatment under the law.
As India approaches the 2024 elections, religious freedom is likely to remain a hotly debated issue, both domestically and internationally. The BJP has long been accused of promoting Hindu nationalism at the expense of minority rights, and the USCIRF’s report is likely to fuel further debate on the subject.
While the USCIRF continues to push for India’s designation as a “country of particular concern,” it remains to be seen whether the U.S. State Department will act on the recommendation. For now, New Delhi’s response is clear: the Indian government rejects the report and stands by its record on religious freedom, dismissing the USCIRF’s findings as politically motivated and lacking in credibility.