For the third year in a row, a US commission recommends that India be included to a religious freedom blacklist because of alleged violations.
According to a US commission, the condition of religious freedom in India “seriously deteriorated” last year, prompting calls for targeted penalties against the government for alleged abuses.
The US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) requested the State Department for the third year in a row to add India to the US list of “countries of special concern” in its annual report issued on Monday.
India is accused of “engaging in and allowing systemic, continuing, and severe abuses of religious freedom,” according to the independent bipartisan panel.
The USCIRF provides recommendations and documents suspected violations, but the State Department is the one who decides whether or not to put a country on the religious freedom blacklist.
“During the year, the Indian government increased its promotion and implementation of policies that harm Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, and other religious minorities, especially those advancing a Hindu-nationalist agenda,” according to the study (PDF).
“Through the employment of both existing and new legislation and structural changes antagonistic to the country’s religious minorities, the government continued to systemize its ideological goal of a Hindu state at both the national and state levels.”
India has already rejected the commission’s suggestion to place the nation on a no-fly list due to alleged abuses of religious freedom, describing the conclusions as “biassed.”
The news comes as US officials say they want “maximum alignment” with India on Russia policy and the Ukraine conflict. In the face of increased competition from China, Washington has been bolstering relations with New Delhi. US President Joe Biden conducted a virtual conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this month, and the two leaders are scheduled to meet in Tokyo next month as part of an Asia-Pacific “Quad” alliance summit that will also include Japan and Australia.
Nonetheless, the USCIRF accused India of suppressing religious minorities’ human rights advocates on Monday. “Governmental action, including continued enforcement of anti-conversion laws against non-Hindus, has created a culture of impunity for nationwide campaigns of threats and violence by mobs and vigilante groups, including against Muslims and Christians accused of conversion activities,” according to the report.
Right-wing Hindu parties have attacked India’s Muslim minority, resulting in mob violence.
Following the Taliban takeover, the USCIRF campaigned for Afghanistan to be designated as a “country of particular concern” (CPC).
China, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan are now on the US State Department’s religious freedom blacklist.
Last year, the commission’s head, Nadine Maenza, told Al Jazeera that “USCIRF routinely proposes more nations be recognised as CPCs than the State Department will designate.” “Part of the gap arises from the fact that USCIRF may concentrate solely on religious freedom circumstances, without having to consider other bilateral concerns.”
