A US panel concluded Monday that religious freedoms have "significantly" declined in India under Hindu nationalists, and again recommended specific sanctions against New Delhi in response to abuses against religious minorities there.
This is the third time that the US Commission on International Religious Freedom has requested that India be placed on a list of "countries of particular concern", a recommendation that previously angered New Delhi and which the State Department is sure to reject soon.
In its annual report, the commission - which was set up to make recommendations without participating in the formulation of US policies - noted "numerous" attacks against religious minorities in India in 2021, especially Muslims and Christians, at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is promoting its "ideological vision of a state." Hinduism" through anti-minority policies.
The report said that "conditions of religious freedom in India have deteriorated significantly," referring to the "culture of impunity for threatening campaigns and mob violence" at the national level in India, in addition to the arrests of journalists and human rights defenders.
Committee chairperson Anorima Bhargava told reporters that unlike in the past two years, no committee member had broken the recommendation on India.
The Indian government in previous years angrily rejected the commission's findings, accusing it of bias.
President Joe Biden, like his predecessor Donald Trump, sought to strengthen relations with India in the face of China, and Biden is expected to meet Modi next month in Tokyo, as part of the "Quad" (Quartet) summit, which also includes Japan and Australia.