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USCIRF reports escalation of India’s efforts to silence religious minorities
The US religious freedom watchdog USCIRF urged the U.S. State Department to designate India as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC)
Representative image / Image - Unsplash
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said India has stepped up on the transnational targeting of religious minorities and those advocating on their behalf.
In a statement the USCIRF said, there have been efforts by the Indian government to silence activists, journalists, and lawyers living abroad, which poses a “serious threat” to religious freedom. It has urged the U.S. Department of State to designate India a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) due to India’s “systemic, ongoing, and egregious violations of freedom of religion or belief.”
The religious freedom watchdog also described the foiled plot to assassinate US-Canadian citizen, Khalistani Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, allegedly devised by an unidentified Indian government official and an individual named Nikhil Gupta as “deeply troubling.”
“The Indian government’s alleged involvement in the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada and the plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States are deeply troubling, and represent a severe escalation of India’s efforts to silence religious minorities and human rights defenders both within its country and abroad,” said USCIRF Commissioner Stephen Schneck.
“We call on the Biden administration to acknowledge the Indian government’s perpetration of particularly severe religious freedom violations and designate it as a country of particular concern (CPC),” he furher said. The USCIRF has recommended that the U.S. designate India as a CPC, every year since 2020.
USCIRF mentioned the use of spyware and online harassment campaigns by Indian authorities to target and intimidate journalists and activists abroad, advocating on behalf of religious minorities. It cited the example of Wall Street Journal reporter Sabrina Siddiqui who questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi about religious freedom conditions in India, during his official state visit in June 2023.
Siddiqui brought up allegations posed by human rights groups against the Modi government for silencing its critics, and discriminating against religious minorities. “What steps are you and your government willing to take to improve the rights of Muslims and other minorities in your country and to uphold free speech?” she had asked. At the time, Modi responded, “there is absolutely no space for discrimination.”
“Within its own borders, Indian authorities have repeatedly used draconian legislation like the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and anti-conversion laws to systematically crackdown on religious minorities, journalists, and activists,” USCIRF Commissioner David Curry said.
“Extending this repression to target religious minorities from India living abroad, including intimidation tactics against journalists, is especially dangerous and cannot be ignored. We urge the U.S. government to continue its active engagement with senior Indian officials and international partners to ensure religious minorities can live and express themselves without fear of reprisal, whether in India or elsewhere,” he added.
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