'Motivated narrative': India rejects US commission's religious freedom report
What's the story
The Indian government has strongly dismissed the latest report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), calling it biased and politically motivated.
The commission has flagged the alleged worsening of religious freedom in India and called for it to be designated as a "Country of Particular Concern."
In response to media queries on the report, Randhir Jaiswal, the Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said it misrepresents facts about India and promotes a "motivated narrative."
Context
Why does this story matter?
In a statement, the USCIRF highlighted a section on India, authored by Senior Policy Analyst Sema Hasan, which discusses the use of misinformation and disinformation, including hate speech by government officials, to provoke violent attacks against religious minorities and their places of worship.
In its annual report, the USCIRF also advised the US Department of State to designate India as a "Country of Particular Concern" due to its systematic, ongoing, and severe violations of religious freedom.
Criticism voiced
MEA spokesperson criticizes USCIRF's report
"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," Jaiswal said.
The MEA stated that the government rejects this "malicious" report, adding that it only serves to further discredit the USCIRF.
Focus shift
MEA urges USCIRF to focus on US human rights issues
Jaiswal urged the commission to refrain from pursuing such "agenda-driven" efforts.
He suggested that the USCIRF would benefit from focusing its attention on addressing human rights issues within the United States.
This is not the first time India has criticized the USCIRF for its reports, having previously accused it of harboring a biased stance on religious freedom in India.