US religious freedom watchdog has asked President Joe Biden's administration to designate India as a 'Country of Particular Concern (CPC)' due to India's "systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of freedom of religion or belief". The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said it was "alarmed" by India's increased transnational "targeting of religious minorities and those advocating on their behalf". This is the fourth time the body has made this recommendation.
"Recent efforts by the Indian government to silence activists, journalists, and lawyers abroad pose a serious threat to religious freedom," the USCIRF said.
So far, there has been no official statement from the Government of India on the report.
Notably, the latest release comes months after USCIRF claimed in an uncommon year-end report of the state of its evaluation of religious freedom that religious freedom and associated human rights continue to be threatened in India.
Then (May 2023), reacting to the claims, India denounced it as "biased and inaccurate," adding that the organisation continues to be motivated by its own prejudices and biases.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the Commission continues to regurgitate such comments and India rejects the "misrepresentation of facts" which only serves to "discredit USCIRF itself".
Here's What The Latest Report Says
The statement by the body also mentions the recent allegations of Canada of an alleged link of India behind the killing of Sikh extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and the US' accusations on an Indian national of plotting to murder Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. "The Indian government’s alleged involvement in the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada and the plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States are deeply troubling, and represent a severe escalation of India’s efforts to silence religious minorities and human rights defenders both within its country and abroad," USCIRF Commissioner Stephen Schneck said.
Schneck called on the Biden administration to acknowledge the Indian government’s "perpetration of particularly severe religious freedom violations and designate it as a country of particular concern."
'Indian Govt's Attempt To Assassinate...'
Explaining transnational repression, the USCIRF said it occurs when states use intimidation, harassment, or violence against those living outside their borders. "Transnational repression campaigns often target political and human rights activists, journalists, and members of religious and ethnic minority groups. In extreme cases, tactics include detention, reprisals against family members, kidnapping, or, as illustrated by India, assassinations," it added.
The watchdog referred to the November 2023 indictment of the US Department of Justice alleging the Indian government’s attempt to assassinate a Sikh activist and said that it was "intended to prompt a series of additional killings in the United States and Canada."
USCIRF On Campaign Against US Wall Street Journal Journalist
The report went on to say that the Indian Indian authorities have used spyware and online harassment campaigns to target and intimidate journalists and activists abroad advocating on behalf of religious minorities. "Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s State Visit to the United States in June, comments from the head of India’s Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) information and technology department, Amit Malviya, prompted an online campaign against U.S. Wall Street Journal journalist Sabrina Siddiqui for posing a question about religious freedom conditions in India," it said.
Calling out the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) a "draconian" legislation, the report said , Indian authorities have repeatedly used this and anti-conversion laws to systematically "crack down" on religious minorities, journalists, and activists within its borders.
"Extending this repression to target religious minorities from India living abroad, including intimidation tactics against journalists, is especially dangerous and cannot be ignored. We urge the U.S. government to continue its active engagement with senior Indian officials and international partners to ensure religious minorities can live and express themselves without fear of reprisal, whether in India or elsewhere," USCIRF Commissioner David Curry said.
USCIRF said that each year since 2020, it has recommended that the US Department of State should designate India as a CPC. "USCIRF also published an issue update on India’s state-level anti-conversion laws, providing further context on India’s use of these laws to target religious minorities," it said.
It added that this year in September, USCIRF held a hearing on religious freedom conditions in India and how the US government can work with the Indian government to address violations.
In 2022 as well, USCIRF alleged that religious freedom is under threat in India, which the Ministry of External Affairs rejected completely.
In a statement, spokesperson Bagchi said, "They (USCIRF) have a tendency to consistently misrepresent facts and this shows their lack of understanding of India, our constitutional framework, plurality and our robust democratic system."
"Given its past record, we are not surprised to see that USCIRF continues to be guided by its prejudices and pursues a motivated agenda that calls into question its own credibility," he added.
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