'Deeply biased...': India dismisses US State Department's religious freedom report
India has strongly rejected the United States State Department's report on religious freedom, labeling it "deeply biased" and "visibly driven by vote bank considerations and a prescriptive outlook." Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described the report as a "mix of imputations, misrepresentations, selective usage of facts, reliance on biased sources, and a one-sided projection of issues."
Why does this story matter?
The 2023 "Report on International Religious Freedom: India" raised concerns over anti-conversion laws, hate speech, and demolitions of homes and places of worship belonging to minorities in India. It also mentioned the ethnic violence in Manipur, which resulted in at least 253 churches being burned down. The report also wrote that "public celebrations of Hindu festivals sometimes resulted in communal violence, particularly when they included processions through Muslim-majority areas," referring to incidents such as the 2023 Nuh violence.
Criticism of report's representation of India's laws
Jaiswal further criticized the report for misrepresenting India's constitutional provisions and laws. He said, "This extends even to the depiction of our constitutional provisions and duly enacted laws of India... In some cases, the very validity of laws and regulations are questioned by the report, as are the right of legislatures to enact them." He added that the report seems to challenge certain legal judgments given by Indian courts.
India's stance on human rights and diversity discussions
Jaiswal emphasized that human rights and respect for diversity are legitimate subjects for discussion between India and the US. He added that India officially addressed numerous cases in the US involving hate crimes, racial attacks on Indian nationals, vandalization of places of worship, violence by law enforcement authorities, as well as "giving political space to advocates of extremism and terrorism abroad" in 2023. However, he warned that such dialog should not become a license for foreign interference in other polities.
India's earlier remarks on US's reports
Notably, earlier as well, New Delhi has criticized the US for its "biased" reports on human rights and religious freedoms in India, based on "flawed understanding." The 2023 US report echoes past themes, however, political analysts suggest Washington is toning down public criticism of New Delhi. This shift is believed to be driven by hopes that India will serve as a counterbalance to China's expansionist ambitions.
