Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strategy and political ideology being mismatch have raised new question mark in US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) report. As reported by The Economic Times, USCIRF has slammed the BJP Government on the 'Ghar Vapasi' campaign and the violence against Christians. The only respite for Modi is his statement in mid-February in support of religious freedom, which has been deemed by USCIRF as "positive development".
The annual report of USCIRF mentions, since Modi has come to power, religious minority communities have been subject to "derogatory comments by politicians linked to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)" and "numerous violent attacks and forced conversions by Hindu nationalist groups" such as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).
In a chapter on India, the report reads, “The states of Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Odisha, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan tend to have the greatest number of religiously-motivated attacks and communal violence incidents. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and religious leaders, including from the Muslim, Christian, and Sikh communities, attributed the initial increase to religiously-divisive campaigning in advance of the country's 2014 general election.”
“Religious minority communities frequently accuse the RSS, VHP and other Hindu-nationalist groups and individuals of intolerance, discrimination, and violence against them, the report adds. Moreover, religious minority communities voice concern that high-ranking BJP members protect or provide support to these groups. In light of these concerns, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement in support of religious freedom made in mid-February 2015 was a positive development," the USCIRF report further read.
As per the news report, USCIRF report adds that the Muslim community in India also has experienced increased harassment and violence. "It faces significant hate campaigns perpetrated by Hindu nationalist groups and local and state politicians that include wide- spread media propaganda accusing Muslims of being terrorists; spying for Pakistan; forcibly kidnapping, converting, and marrying Hindu women; and disrespecting Hinduism by slaughtering cows. Additionally, the Muslim community reports that its mosques are monitored and young boys and men are detained indiscriminately under the pretext of countering terrorism. Muslims also complain that most Indian states violate their religious freedom by restricting or banning cow slaughter, which is required for Muslims during Eid al-Adha," the report has said.
In what may sound rough to Modi’s liking for the US, the financial daily report, the USCIRF has further urged the US government to urge the central Indian government to press states that have adopted anti-conversion laws to repeal or amend them to conform with internationally recognised human rights standards and make clear US opposition to laws that restrict freedom of thought and association. It has further asked the US to urge Indian government to publicly rebuke government officials and religious leaders that make derogatory statements about religious communities, as per the USCIRF report.
(Image: Reuters)