India firmly rejects USCIRF report on religious freedom, calls it biased propaganda

India Slams USCIRF Report as “Biased Propaganda”

In a strong rebuttal to the recent report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), India has firmly rejected the accusations made against the ruling BJP government. Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal dismissed the USCIRF as “biased” and driven by a “political agenda”, stating that the report is nothing more than “propaganda masquerading as part of an annual report”.

Jaiswal emphasized that India’s diverse, pluralistic, and democratic ethos cannot be understood by the USCIRF. He made it clear that any attempts by the organization to interfere in India’s electoral process, the largest in the world, will be futile.

The USCIRF, established by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, is a U.S. federal government commission with commissioners appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives. In its recent report, the USCIRF alleged that the Indian government, led by the BJP, failed to address communal violence that disproportionately affected various religious minorities.

The report claimed that the enforcement of various laws, such as the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and anti-conversion and cow slaughter laws, led to the arbitrary detention, monitoring, and targeting of religious minorities and their advocates. It also mentioned instances of strict monitoring of news media and NGOs reporting on religious minorities under FCRA regulations.

India’s strong rejection of the USCIRF report highlights the ongoing tensions between the two countries on issues of religious freedom and human rights. The government’s stance underscores its commitment to upholding its sovereignty and democratic principles, despite international scrutiny.