WASHINGTON: A US federal government commission noted on Thursday that efforts were being made in India to disenfranchise Muslims while the government was failing in its duty to protect citizens.

Similar sentiments have also been expressed by other US government bodies, members of Congress, think-tanks and the media.

“The brutal and unchecked violence growing across Delhi cannot continue,” said Anurima Bhargava, head of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), while reminding the Indian government that it “must take swift action” to ensure the safety of all of its citizens.

“Instead, reports are mounting that the Delhi police have not intervened in violent attacks against Muslims, and the government is failing in its duty to protect its citizens,” she added.

“These incidents are even more concerning in the context of efforts within India to target and potentially disenfranchise Muslims across the country, in clear violation of international human rights standards.”

“Deeply troubled by the deaths from the communal violence in India over the past couple of days,” said House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel.

In a tweet posted on Thursday, he reminded the protesters in Delhi that “the right to protest is a key aspect in democracy, but they must remain peaceful and police must ensure the safety of all.”

Senators Mark R. Warner and John Cornyn, co-chairs of the Senate India Caucus, said in a joint statement that they were “alarmed by the recent violence in New Delhi.”

They urged all sides to engage in “an open dialogue on issues of significant concern in order to advance our vital long-term relationship.”

Chief US diplomat for South Asian affairs, Alice Wells urged those behind the recent communal unrest in India’s capital to “refrain from violence”.

“Our hearts go out to the families of the deceased and injured in New Delhi. We echo PM Narendra Modi’s call for calm and normalcy and urge all parties to maintain peace, refrain from violence, and respect the right of peaceful assembly,” she wrote in a tweet posted on her department’s official site.

Richard Haass President, President Council on Foreign Relations, noted in a tweet: “One reason for India’s relative success has been that its large Muslim minority saw itself as Indian.”

“But this is at risk owing to govt attempts to exploit identity politics for political advantage. Truly short-sighted as both economically, socially costly,” he wrote.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2020