The Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement on Thursday rejecting US Commission on International Religious Freedom report on India. The MEA called a ‘biased organization with a political agenda’.
The ministry said in the statement, “Our views on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) are well known. It is a biased organization with a political agenda. It continues to misrepresent facts and peddles a motivated narrative about India. We reject this malicious report, which only serves to discredit USCIRF further.”
The statement further added, “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.”
The USCIRF Released a “Report on India’s Collapsing Religious Freedom Conditions” on 2 October, alleging attacks on religious freedom in India. It claimed that “t4hroughout 2024, individuals have been killed, beaten, and lynched by vigilante groups, religious leaders have been arbitrarily arrested, and homes and places of worship have been demolished. These events constitute particularly severe violations of religious freedom.”
The report allegedly “describes the use of misinformation and disinformation, including hate speech, by government officials to incite violent attacks against religious minorities and their places of worship.”
In the report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate India as a “Country of Particular Concern,” or CPC, or engaging in systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom.
