| 07 July 2023
India has declined a travel request from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), stating that foreign entities have no authority to evaluate the constitutional rights of Indian citizens. The visa rejection comes as the US Congress releases its own religious freedom report, and a senior Trump administration official expresses concerns about the situation in India. Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar firmly dismissed the USCIRF's surveys, labeling them biased and prejudiced due to the commission's limited understanding of Indian citizens' rights.
In a letter to Nishikant Dubey, a member of parliament who raised the issue, Jaishankar affirmed that visas were denied to USCIRF teams seeking to visit India regarding religious freedom matters. He emphasized that there was no basis for a foreign entity like the USCIRF to pass judgment on the constitutionally protected rights of Indian citizens. Jaishankar added that India would not tolerate foreign interference or assessments concerning its sovereignty.
USCIRF spokeswoman Danielle Saroyan Ashbahian expressed the team's desire to travel to India for constructive dialogue with the government. Ashbahian asserted that as a pluralistic, non-sectarian, and democratic state and a close partner of the United States, India should have the confidence to permit the visit. Such an exchange would provide an opportunity for India to directly convey its views to the USCIRF in a constructive manner.
India's ruling Hindu nationalist government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has faced criticism for alleged attacks on Muslims and other minority groups since coming to power in 2014. In its April report, the USCIRF called for India, along with China, Iran, Russia, and Syria, to be designated a "country of particular concern." The panel urged sanctions against Modi's government officials following the exclusion of Muslims from the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act passed in December 2022. The USCIRF's report stated that in 2019, religious freedom conditions in India worsened, with increasing assaults on religious minorities.
The USCIRF is a bipartisan advisory body of the US government responsible for monitoring religious freedom worldwide and making non-binding policy recommendations.
In parallel, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released the 2019 International Religious Freedom Report, mandated by the US Congress. The report documented significant violations of religious freedom globally. Regarding India, the report highlighted the Modi government's revocation of Indian-administered Kashmir's autonomy in August and the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act in December. It also mentioned attacks by Hindu vigilante groups on Muslims and Dalits, with cow-related incidents triggering violence. The report noted that the victims of mob violence were often charged by the police.
Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom in the Trump administration, Samuel Brownback, expressed concern about the situation in India during a phone call with journalists. Brownback emphasized the need for increased efforts to address religious freedom in India, a historically tolerant and respectful country of all religions. He warned that without concerted efforts, there could be a rise in violence and greater societal challenges.
India's refusal to grant travel visas to the USCIRF underscores its commitment to maintaining sovereignty and resisting external assessments of its citizens' constitutional rights. The stance taken by the Indian government signals a determination to handle religious freedom matters internally, engaging in constructive dialogue on its own terms. The situation remains a point of contention between India and the United States, with each side asserting its perspective on religious freedom conditions in the country.
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