U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) hosted a hearing on religious freedom in India and how the U.S. government can work with the Indian government to address violations.
Over the last decade, the Indian government has enacted and enforced discriminatory policies targeting religious minorities, including anti-conversion laws, cow slaughter laws, legislation granting citizenship preferences based on religion, and restrictions on foreign funding for civil society organizations.
Recent trends include the eruption of violence between Hindus and Muslims in Haryana in July and targeted attacks against Christian and Jewish minorities in Manipur, highlighting the need for new strategies to mitigate violence against religious minorities in India.
Since 2020, USCIRF has recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate India as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for its systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. Witnesses discussed the Indian government’s legal framework and enforcement of discriminatory policies, explained current religious freedom conditions, and offered policy options for the United States to work with India to combat abuses of religious freedom and related human rights in the country.
Abraham Cooper, USCIRF Chair, said we are encouraged and inspired that so many civil society and human rights organizations have submitted additional statements for the record, which will be made available on our website.
We appreciate the work of these groups, who continually document and highlight conditions on the ground, which is crucial to informing our research and reporting on India.
He said religious freedom conditions in India have notably declined in recent years. Since 2020, USCIRF has recommended the State Department designate India as a country of particular concern, or CPC, for its systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations, including the Indian government’s promotion and enforcement of laws and policies that target religious minorities.
Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Dalits and Adivasis are experiencing increased levels of attacks and acts of intimidation.
The national government has continued to suppress minority voices and those advocating on their behalf through surveillance, harassment, demolition of property, and detention under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. These trends, and their implication for U.S. foreign policy, should not be ignored.
It’s important to note that this hearing is taking place just months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s high-profile state visit to Washington D.C. where he met with President Biden and addressed a joint session of Congress.
When directly asked about India’s treatment of religious minorities during a White House press conference, Prime Minister Modi responded that, “there is no space for discrimination” in India and suggested that steps did not need to be taken to advance religious freedom in the country.
Yet for the past several years, religious freedom conditions in India have continued in a downward trend, capturing international attention, and highlighting the need for continued discussions and engagement on policy options for advancing religious freedom in the country.
In the last few months alone, attacks against the country’s Muslim and Christian minority communities have been particularly concerning. In July, violence erupted between Hindus and Muslims following a Hindu procession in the Muslim neighborhood of Nuh near New Delhi.
During the unrest, a mosque was torched and a deputy imam was killed. Hundreds of Muslims’ homes were demolished, and Muslim-owned businesses were targeted with widespread calls for boycotts.
Unfortunately, these kinds of incidents and calls for violence against minority groups are becoming more and more common.
Last month, Prime Minister Modi faced a vote of no confidence for his government’s response to the ongoing violence against the minority Christian Kuki community in Manipur that began in May. Waves of violence have targeted religious symbols, and places of worship and refuge, including churches and synagogues.
Mobs burned or damaged more than 250 churches of different denominations and 2 synagogues across the state, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.
In these and other instances of mass violence, the quick spread of disinformation and hate speech on social media has stoked mob vigilantism and other types of communal violence throughout the country.
These are just a few examples that highlight the particularly severe religious freedom violations taking place in India, which our witnesses will discuss in much greater detail.
Sarah Yager, Washington director, Human Rights Watch, added that the commission’s focus on religious freedom in India is welcome.
Publicly speak out about the Indian government’s abusive and discriminatory policies and practices against religious minorities and publicly raise concerns over the increasing attacks on religious minorities and incitement and hate speech by government officials.
Private diplomatic communications are insufficient and will not impact the actions of the Indian government. Prime Minister Modi and the BJP leadership have spent years cultivating India’s international image and geopolitical standing.
Targeted and fact-based public criticism by US officials is essential for compelling Indian leaders to rein in the toxic rhetoric against religious and other minorities and undercut the sense of impunity that underlies the government’s worsening human rights violations.
Public statements demonstrate that the US government is scrutinizing the Modi government’s actions and that failures to address worsening abuses will affect US-India relations.
US officials should urge the India government to implement long-pending police reforms and ensure police are free from political influence and are able to take effective action during communal violence and carry out fair investigations to prosecute perpetrators.
The Indian government should be asked to meaningfully prosecute party leaders and supporters responsible for inciting and carrying out attacks on religious minorities.
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