New York: The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has urged the US State Department to designate India as a “Country of Particular Concern” due to its ongoing violations of religious freedom. This recommendation comes in light of what the commission describes as a “deteriorating and concerning trajectory” regarding religious rights in India.
The commission criticized the Indian government for imposing discriminatory legislation such as anti-conversion, cow slaughter, and anti-terrorism laws. According to USCIRF, these laws have been used to unjustly target religious communities, and many individuals, including journalists, human rights activists, and religious leaders, have been detained without due process. The report emphasizes that these actions represent significant violations of religious freedom.
“Indian officials have repeatedly employed hateful and derogatory rhetoric and misinformation to perpetuate false narratives about religious minorities, inciting widespread violence, lynchings, and the demolition of places of worship,” the commission’s report, authored by senior policy analyst Sema Hasan, states. The 2024 USCIRF Annual Report also noted that India has engaged in particularly severe violations of religious freedom, recommending the US State Department take action.
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The report goes on to suggest various policy measures for the US government to address these violations. “This report highlights how, throughout 2024, individuals have been killed, beaten, and lynched by vigilante groups, religious leaders have been arbitrarily arrested, and homes and places of worship have been demolished. These events constitute particularly severe violations of religious freedom,” USCIRF emphasized.
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USCIRF also pointed out that religious freedom in India deteriorated significantly ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with the propagation of discriminatory rhetoric and the implementation of policies that negatively impacted religious minorities. The report accused the BJP government of pushing legislative actions such as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC), the Places of Worship Act, and the Uniform Civil Code, all of which have fueled anti-minority sentiment.
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The report also cited the expropriation and demolition of religious sites, particularly those of Muslims, as well as the government’s crackdown on civil society organizations. The justification for these actions, according to government officials, has been to protect India’s “cultural and linguistic heritage.”
In response to the report, several Indian and Indian-American groups have criticized USCIRF for what they describe as biased, unscientific, and agenda-driven reporting, suggesting that the commission’s conclusions lack objectivity.
