THE fact that India has not been included in the list of countries ‘of particular concern’ in the context of religious freedom by the US appears to be a decision coloured by geopolitics. This assertion is supported by the fact that the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, a federal government body, has recommended that India be put on the list, a suggestion ignored by the State Department. While legitimate questions arise about whether America should be issuing such lists at all — as opposed to neutral multilateral bodies or human rights watchdogs — if the US wants to make these designations, there should at least be a semblance of balance in the process. While America’s geopolitical foes such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are on the list of alleged violators of religious freedom, as are Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the omission of India is indeed glaring. USCIRF officials have asked Congress to start public hearings on the matter, while castigating India’s “egregious religious freedom violations” as well as its “transnational repression activities”.

India, particularly after a decade of BJP rule, is no haven for minorities, especially Muslims and Christians. Indian Muslims are the favourite targets of Hindutva mobs, while the government apparatus, particularly in BJP-ruled states such as Uttar Pradesh, is openly hostile to the community. Meanwhile, there was widespread religious violence targeting Christians in Manipur last year. With the upcoming Indian elections likely to return another pro-Hindutva government at the centre, things are unlikely to improve for India’s minorities. It is difficult to see how the State Department can turn a blind eye to such repression. Perhaps it is India’s usefulness in the American rivalry with China that guides such decisions, as opposed to any real commitment to religious freedom.

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2024