New Delhi: The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a bipartisan congressional advisory body, has reported a “deteriorating and concerning trajectory” for religious freedom in India this year.
The commission pointed to inflammatory rhetoric from top leaders during the general elections and in government policies, which have fuelled a surge in attacks on Muslims and Christians.
In a country update for India released on Wednesday, October 2, the USCIRF highlighted 161 incidents of violence against Christians between January and March 2024, with 47 occurring in Chhattisgarh. In Uttar Pradesh, 20 Christians were detained in June and July on allegations of forced conversions.
The report also noted that after the election results, there were at least 28 attacks targeting Muslims, linking the surge in anti-Muslim violence to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s re-election campaign.
“In the lead-up to the June 2024 elections, political officials increasingly wielded hate speech and discriminatory rhetoric against Muslims and other religious minorities,” the report stated.
Ahead of the elections, Modi warned that the opposition would “wipe out the Hindu faith,” while Amit Shah falsely claimed the opposition would impose Sharia law if elected.
The report also recalled that in March, a group of UN experts expressed concern over escalating violence and hate crimes against religious minorities ahead of the parliamentary elections. These included vigilante violence, targeted killings, demolition of property, and harassment.
The USCIRF also noted that misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech from Indian government officials frequently incite cow vigilantism and other attacks on religious minorities. It cited an example of attacks on Muslims in Mumbai’s Mira Road following the inauguration of the Ram Temple in January, spurred by speeches from MLAs Nitesh Rane and Geeta Jain.
The commission further reported that authorities have engaged in “bulldozer justice,” demolishing Muslim properties under the pretext of clearing illegal structures. In one instance, a 600-year-old mosque in Delhi was demolished in February without prior notice, leading to widespread anger.
The report criticised the 2024 Waqf Amendment Bill for expanding government control over Waqf endowments, whose provisions would erode the community’s autonomy over its religious institutions.
“The introduction of this legislation follows the increased proliferation of disinformation regarding the distribution of wealth among India’s Muslim communities, including derogatory comments that Prime Minister Modi made during the national election,” it said.
The report concluded that “religious freedom conditions in India continue to follow a deteriorating and concerning trajectory”.
Furthermore, it notes that “the Indian government continues to repress and restrict religious communities through the enforcement of discriminatory legislation like anti-conversion laws, cow slaughter laws, and anti-terrorism laws”.
The USCIRF report claims that Indian authorities have detained individuals who highlight violations of religious freedom, including religious leaders, journalists, and human rights activists, without due process, with some cases extending over years.
Earlier in May, the USCIRF yet again recommended that India be classified as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’. Since 2020, it has repeatedly made this recommendation to the US State Department, which has so far ignored it.
Responding to the report, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal accused the USCIRF of interfering in India’s election.
“The US Commission on International Religious Freedom is a biased organisation with a political agenda. They continue to push their propaganda on India under the pretense of an annual report,” he said.
“We have no expectation that the USCIRF will even attempt to understand India’s diverse, pluralistic, and democratic ethos. Their efforts to interfere in the world’s largest electoral exercise will fail,” he added.
Further, Jaiswal suggested that the USCIRF should address “human rights issues in the United States”. “We would urge USCIRF to desist from such agenda driven efforts. The USCIRF would also be well advised to utilise its time more productively on addressing human rights issues in the United States.”
Notably, the USCIRF was established under the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) to monitor the universal right to freedom of religion or belief. Its mandate, set by the US Congress, is strictly international, which means the body can’t act outside its jurisdiction, despite India’s ‘suggestion’.
