US report highlights 'continued targeted attacks' against religious minorities in India

The United States State Department in a report released on Monday highlighted ldquocontinued targeted attacksrdquo against religious minorities in India including Christians Muslims Sikhs Hindu Dalits and indigenous groups It also mentions China and Russia India in the meanwhile has called the report biased and motivatedThe report ldquo2022 Report on International Religious Freedomrdquo comes one month ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the US on June 22Among the issues listed in the report are legal prohibitions against conversions in multiple states accusations of systemic discrimination against Muslims and attacks on religious minoritiesincluding ldquocow vigilantismrdquo against nonHindus based on allegations of cow slaughter or trade in beefA senior US State department official said that he was saddened to see what is outlined in the reportldquoIrsquove spent a good amount of time in India and have experienced firsthand the phenomenal culture of the country the vast potential the people of the country and thatrsquos also why at times Irsquove been saddened and to see what is outlined in todayrsquos reportrdquoldquoWhat we outline in todayrsquos report is a targeted ndash continued targeted attacks against religious communities including Christians Muslims Sikhs Hindu Dalits and indigenous communities dehumanising rhetoric including open calls for genocide against Muslims lynching and other hatefueled violence attacks on houses of worship and home demolitions and in some cases impunity and even clemency for those whorsquove engaged in attacks on religious minorities ndash wersquore also continuing to see at the state level some restrictions on religious attirerdquo the official saidHe said that the US government will continue to speak directly with ldquoour colleagues and counterparts in India regarding these concernsrdquo ldquoWersquore continuing to encourage the government to condemn violence and hold accountable and protect all groups who engage in rhetoric thatrsquos dehumanizing towards religious minorities and all groups who engage in violence against religious communities and other communities in IndiardquoAlso readMumbai Crime 30yearold held from New Delhi for duping job aspirantsTherersquos been a significant attention of course from the international community on the situation in India including human rights organizations ldquoThe US Holocaust Museum continues to draw considerable attention to the human rights situation in India and lists it as one of its top countries of concern and with ndash with regards to potential for mass killings there So wersquoll continue to work very closely with our civil society colleagues on the ground with courageous journalists that are working every day to document some of these abuses and wersquoll continue speaking directly with our counterparts in India to address these issuesrdquoOn May 1 an independent commission in the United States for the fourth year in a row recommended that Indiarsquos government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi be added to a religious freedom blacklist saying that conditions in the country for religious minorities ldquocontinued to worsenrdquo throughout 2022In its annual report the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom USCIRF had called on the US Department of State to designate India as a ldquocountry of particular concernrdquoMeanwhile India has strongly criticized the report and has rejected the findings of the report which expressed concerns regarding religious rights violations in the country India has called the report biased and motivatedThe report also noted that the Chinese Communist Party has significantly and broadly cracked down on religious freedom over the course of the year and that the number of people imprisoned for their spiritual beliefs was estimated to range between the low thousands to perhaps over 10000Chinese government officials have denied the allegations of human rights abusesAdditionally the report outlined widespread violations against religious freedom perpetrated by RussiaAuthorities continued to investigate detain imprison torture physically abuse persons and seize their property because of their religious belief or affiliation or membership in groups designated extremist terrorist or undesirable including Jehovahs Witnesses the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars Hizb utTahrir Tablighi Jamaat followers of Turkish Muslim theologian Said Nursi the Church of Scientology Falun Gong and multiple evangelical Protestant groups the report says adding that individuals have been reportedly subjected to long terms in labour camps torture home searches and other mistreatment