Tribune News Service
NEW DELHI, JUNE 23
India has reacted sharply to the US State Department’s annual report for 2018 on religious freedom in various countries.
“It is widely acknowledged that India is a vibrant democracy where the Constitution provides protection of religious freedom, and where democratic governance and rule of law further promote and protect the fundamental rights,” said a Ministry of External Affairs statement.
The US report has talked about the Indian government’s failure on some occasions to act on mob attacks on religious minorities, marginalised communities and critics of the government. It also observed that the “government often protected perpetrators from prosecution”.
However, the report contains no advice for the Indian Government unlike the case of Pakistan, China and Iran. The US State Department has asked Pakistan to appoint an envoy to address issues relating to religious freedom in the country while it has been scathing on China.
The India-specific portion of the report avoided hinting that there were any reservations with the Indian Government’s policies that required US diplomatic counselling. The report has not mentioned the violence in Kashmir though it has a section on the Kathua killings.
The MEA said it saw no locus standi for a foreign entity to pronounce on the state of the constitutionally protected rights of Indian citizens.
Adverse observations
- Communal incidents increased by 9% from 2015 to 2017, with 822 incidents resulting in 111 deaths and 2,384 injuries in 2017
- Nine of 29 states have laws that require district authorities to be informed of an intended conversion one month in advance
- Twenty-four of 29 states apply partial to full restrictions on bovine slaughter
.
from The Tribune http://bit.ly/2X1GeL4
via Today’s News Headlines
No comments: