The annual Report to Congress on International Religious Freedom covers government policies violating religious belief and practices of groups, religious denominations and individuals, and U.S. policies to promote religious freedom around the world. The Department of State report particularly highlighted the state-sponsored massacre of Muslims in India’s capital city, New Delhi, last year in which 53 people died and hundreds were injured, mostly Muslims.
“Witnesses accounts and video evidence showed police complicity in the violence,” the report noted while quoting Human Rights Watch. “Muslim acacemics, human rights activists, former police officers, and journalists alleged anti-Muslim bias in the investigation of riots by New Delhi Police,” the report said.
Over the hateful rhetoric during COVID-19 pandemic that targeted religious minorities especially the Islamic Tablighi Jamaat organization for spreading the coronavirus, the report mentioned the use of terms like “terrorism” and “Corona Jihad” by the members of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and some of the mainstream media outlets.
“There were reports of religiously motivated killings, assaults, riots, discrimination, vandalism, and actions restricting the right of individuals to practice and speak about their religious beliefs,” the report noted.
The report also highlights the specific examples of violations of civil liberties and religious freedom including the storming of mosque and killing of Muezzin (the person who gives call to prayers) in New Delhi by Hindutva mob during anti-CAA protests, murder of two Christians in custody of Tamil Nadu Police, inflammatory public remarks and social media posts by political party leaders, the intimidation of Muslim residents by police and the use of discriminatory cow slaughter laws to target minorities by the BJP government in Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Last month, the USCIRF released its Annual International Religious Freedom report designating India as Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for the second consecutive year. The report also urged the US government to impose sanctions on the officials and agencies responsible for violations of the religious freedoms.