Ahead of Modi's visit to White House, US says it will continue to raise issues of attacks on minorities in India

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official state visit to Washington DC, the Biden administration has stated that it would continue to urge New Delhi to address the issues related to India’s alleged backsliding on religious freedom.

The US State Department on Monday released its 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom. “We’ll continue to speak directly with our colleagues and counterparts in India regarding these concerns,” a senior official of the US State Department said.

“We’re continuing to encourage the government to condemn violence and hold accountable and protect all groups who engage in rhetoric that’s dehumanising towards religious minorities and all groups who engage in violence against religious communities and other communities in India,” the official said. The report referred to attacks against the religious minority communities, including the Muslims and the Christians, as well as the Dalit Hindus in India.

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“What we outline in today’s report is a targeted – continued targeted attacks against religious communities, including Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindu Dalits, and indigenous communities; dehumanising rhetoric, including open calls for genocide against Muslims; lynching and other hate-fuelled violence, attacks on houses of worship and home demolitions, and in some cases impunity and even clemency for those who’ve engaged in attacks on religious minorities,” a senior official of the US State Department told journalists in Washington DC when asked about the status of religious freedom in India.

“We’re also continuing to see, at the state level, some restrictions on religious attire,” the official said, referring to the hijab ban in Karnataka.

Modi’s government, however, has rejected the report.

“Regrettably, such reports continue to be based on misinformation and flawed understanding,” Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said in New Delhi. “Motivated and biased commentary by some US officials only serves to undermine further the credibility of these reports.”

The earlier reports of the US State Department on religious freedom have also been referring to the alleged incidents of atrocities and violence against the minority communities in India.