DELHI, NEW DELHI:
A US official warned late Thursday that certain Indian officials are ignoring or even condoning escalating attacks on people and places of worship in the country, prompting a furious response from New Delhi, which branded the remarks “ill-informed.”

Rashad Hussain, who heads the US State Department’s efforts to track religious freedom around the world, made the statements in conjunction with the department’s annual report on global religious freedom.

According to the report, attacks on members of minority communities in India occurred throughout the year, including killings, assaults, and intimidation. Cow vigilantism was one of them, with non-Hindus being attacked for allegedly slaughtering cows or dealing in beef.

Cows are revered to many Hindus, who make up around 80% of India’s 1.35 billion population. Several states governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party have passed or strengthened laws prohibiting the killing of cows.

According to Hussain, some Indian officials were “ignorant of or even supportive of escalating attacks on persons and places of worship.”

The report, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, shows that religious freedom and religious minority’ rights are under assault all across the world.

“We’ve seen escalating attacks on people and places of religion in India, the world’s largest democracy and home to a huge range of faiths,” Blinken added.

The Indian foreign ministry stated that the country supports religious freedom and human rights, and that it has taken note of “ill-informed remarks by senior US officials.”

In a statement, ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi stated, “It is sad that vote bank politics is being used in foreign affairs.”

He also stated that “racially and ethnically driven attacks, hate crimes, and gun violence” in the United States have been repeatedly emphasised by Indian leaders.