'Regurgitating biased, motivated comments': India slams US Commission report over religious freedom violations

In a scathing rejoinder, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi in a statement, said: “The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) continues to regurgitate biased and motivated comments about India, this time in its 2023 annual report."

“We reject such misrepresentation of facts, which only serves to discredit USCIRF itself. We would urge USCIRF to desist from such efforts and develop a better understanding of India, its plurality, its democratic ethos, and its constitutional mechanisms,” he said.

The response came after the USCIRF in its 2023 report designated India as a “Country of Particular Concern” along with Afghanistan, Nigeria, Syria, and Vietnam.

The report also called for the US government to “condemn ongoing religious freedom violations and support religious organizations and human rights groups targeted for their advocacy of religious freedom.

“Impose targeted sanctions on Indian government agencies and officials responsible for severe violations of religious freedom by freezing those individuals’ assets and/or barring their entry into the United States under human rights related financial and visa authorities, citing specific religious freedom violations.”

It also recommended that the US Congress should: “Raise religious freedom issues in the US-India bilateral relationship and highlight concerns through hearings, briefings, letters, and congressional delegations.”