(Image source from: US panel slams over attacks on minority communities})

A US panel on religious freedom has criticised the BJP-led government on the controversial ‘ghar wapsi’ campaign. The annual report of The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), is highly critical of Hindu right-wing organisations like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which is considered as the ideological mentor of the ruling BJP and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). The report, however, noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement in support of religious freedom earlier this year “was a positive development”.

“Since the election, religious minority communities have been subject to derogatory comments by politicians linked to the ruling BJP and numerous violent attacks and forced conversions by Hindu nationalist groups, such as RSS and VHP,” the report said. “Moreover, religious minority communities voice concern that high-ranking BJP members protect or provide support to these groups which are involved in the attacks.”
The report has cited the anti-conversion laws enacted by several states and also the call of BJP chief Amit Shah for a similar law for the entire country. “Based on these concerns, USCIRF again places India on its Tier 2 list of countries, where it has been since 2009”. India’s two other neighbours China and Pakistan are in Tier 1, a category which denotes higher religious intolerance.

The biased report by US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) does not have any legitimacy or honesty in evaluating the issues mentioned in the report. The commission has failed to highlight and suggest that all kind of conversions are to be banned; instead they are concerned about only ‘Ghar Wapasi”. Regarding the attacks on minority establishments, the investigation and apprehending of the accused has proved beyond doubt that any of the Hindutva organizations are not at all involved in the attacks. The laughable statement is the commissions finding of religious tolerance in China and Pakistan, which is known to the entire world. The commission has to be honest enough to churn out a report which has to be secular and transparent.

By Premji