The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) will recommend to the administration that its relations with India must take into account the “worrisome situation” with regard to religious freedom in India.
“I do not want to prejudge what the final report will say, but one recommendation that we will make is that the government-to-government relations between the two countries, including strategic and commercial ties should have a framework that promotes religious freedom in India,” said Katrina Lantos-Swett, a member of the commission team that was planning to visit India earlier this month. The commission was denied visas by the Indian government. She said, over a period of seven years, the situation in India has become “worrisome.”
Ms Lantos-Swett told The Hindu in an interview: “It is not our mandate to tell India what it should do. But it is our legislative mandate to recommend to the US government what it should do for protecting religious freedoms in various countries.” The U.S government’s decision to deny visa to Narendra Modi in 2005 when he was the Gujarat chief minister, was consequent to the commission’s recommendation then.
She said the concerns about India were particularly related to the impunity that appears to be available to perpetrators of religious violence, and in some states, government itself making laws that contravene constitutional rights of religious freedoms.
Noting that these concerns predate the Modi government, and Mr. Modi himself has declared his commitment to religious freedom, Ms Lantos-Swett, however, said the prime minister has “an opportunity and an obligation” to send the message “more emphatically, more frequently, and more effectively” since outfits linked to the BJP were often involved in acts of violence. “Previous governments also denied us visas. But Prime Minister Modi has a particular, added responsibility to lead with clarity the protection of minorities and religious freedom,” she said. “Unambiguous, unequivocal condemnation” of religious intolerance by the PM would encourage better response from law enforcement agencies and the judiciary, she said.
Ms. Lantos-Swett said since the USCIRF would have no firsthand assessment of the situation in India, it would depend on accounts from the US embassy in India, the State Department, civil society organisations and religious leaders to prepare its report that will be submitted to the US administration on May 1, 2016.
Ms Lantos-Swett said the commission approach was not to apply any U.S notion of religious rights on any other country, but to assess the situation in various countries as per the standards of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. “Our visits are low profile and never a media event,” she said. She said the commission was keen to interact with the government of India officials and ministers on the issue.
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