ICC Note:

The U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has warned that India is on a negative trajectory in terms of religious freedom and will consider recommending the country be labeled a “Country of Particular Concern” next year if the situation does not improve. Christians, a significant religious minority in India, have faced intense persecution over the past year. The Catholic Secular Forum recorded that Christians in India faced 365 incidents of persecution in the 2015 calendar year alone. So far, India has refused to recognize the findings by USCIRF and denied the existence of any religious intolerance problem, despite the evidence provided by NGOs and USCIRF. 

5/4/2016 India (Forbes) – In a fairly damning report the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, a government body that monitors international religious freedom, warned that India was on a negative trajectory in terms of religious freedom.

The USCIRF made the observation in its annual report and said that it would closely monitor the situation in the year ahead to determine if India should be recommended to the U.S. State Department for designation as a “country of particular concern,” under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) for systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom. The report covers the period from February 1, 2015 to February 29, 2016 and addresses issues in 31 countries.

The Indian government sharply rebutted the report and said, “We take no cognizance of the report.”

“The US Commission on International Religious Freedom once again fails to show proper understanding of India, its constitution and its society,” India’s foreign ministry reportedly said in a statement. ”India is a vibrant pluralistic society founded on strong democratic principles. The Indian Constitution guarantees fundamental rights to all its citizens including the right to freedom of religion,” the statement said, adding that the government “does not see the locus standi of a foreign entity like USCIRF to pronounce on the state of Indian citizens’ constitutionally protected rights.”

In key findings, the report said: “In 2015, religious tolerance deteriorated and religious freedom violations increased in India. Minority communities, especially Christians, Muslims, and Sikhs, experienced numerous incidents of intimidation, harassment, and violence, largely at the hands of Hindu nationalist groups. Members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tacitly supported these groups and used religiously-divisive language to further inflame tensions. These issues, combined with longstanding problems of police bias and judicial inadequacies, have created a pervasive climate of impunity, where religious minority communities feel increasingly insecure, with no recourse when religiously-motivated crimes occur.”

Firmly pinning the blame for the deterioration of religious tolerance on the Narendra Modi government, the report said: “Since the BJP assumed power, religious minority communities have been subject to derogatory comments by BJP politicians and numerous violent attacks and forced conversions by affiliated Hindu nationalist groups, such as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Sangh Parivar, and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).”

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