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In 2015, religious tolerance deteriorated and religious freedom violations increased in India. Members of the ruling BJP tacitly supported Hindu nationalist groups and used religiously divisive language to further inflame tensions.
These issues, combined with longstanding problems of police bias and judicial inadequacies, have created a pervasive climate of impunity, where religious minority communities feel increasingly insecure, with no recourse when religiously motivated crimes occur.
These are the key findings of the US minorities watchdog USCIRF (United States Commission for International Religious Freedom) in its annual report for the year 2015, just weeks before Narendra Modi will travel to the US and address a joint session of the US Congress in early June. USCIRF is a bipartisan US federal government commission that makes policy recommendation to the US President, the Secretary of State, and the Congress.
The report names top BJP faces including party president Amit Shah and Yogi Aditya nath and Sakshi Maharaj. It comes down heavily on the current dispensation and its Sangh allies for 'numerous incidents of intimidation ,harassment and violence' experienced by Minority communities, especially Christians, Muslims, and Sikhs. Talking about the anti-conversion law existing in six states, the report says , "While the laws purportedly protect religious minorities from forced conversions, they are one-sided, only concerned about conversions away from Hinduism but not towards Hinduism. Observers note that these laws create a hostile, and on occasion violent, environment for religious minority communities because they do not require any evidence to support accusations of wrongdoing."
These issues, combined with longstanding problems of police bias and judicial inadequacies, have created a pervasive climate of impunity, where religious minority communities feel increasingly insecure, with no recourse when religiously motivated crimes occur.
These are the key findings of the US minorities watchdog USCIRF (United States Commission for International Religious Freedom) in its annual report for the year 2015, just weeks before Narendra Modi will travel to the US and address a joint session of the US Congress in early June. USCIRF is a bipartisan US federal government commission that makes policy recommendation to the US President, the Secretary of State, and the Congress.
The report names top BJP faces including party president Amit Shah and Yogi Aditya nath and Sakshi Maharaj. It comes down heavily on the current dispensation and its Sangh allies for 'numerous incidents of intimidation ,harassment and violence' experienced by Minority communities, especially Christians, Muslims, and Sikhs. Talking about the anti-conversion law existing in six states, the report says , "While the laws purportedly protect religious minorities from forced conversions, they are one-sided, only concerned about conversions away from Hinduism but not towards Hinduism. Observers note that these laws create a hostile, and on occasion violent, environment for religious minority communities because they do not require any evidence to support accusations of wrongdoing."
More : http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/us-minorities-freedom-watchdog-slams-bjp-and-rss/1/657686.html
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