India denies visa to US govt panel, says foreign entities have no authority to criticize nation’s religious freedoms

New Delhi has refused visas to members of a US government panel on religious freedoms, arguing they have no right to make judgments about India, as antipathy between the two nations seems to have reached new levels.

India has decided to ban the members of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) from visiting its territory after the American bipartisan government advisory body repeatedly slammed New Delhi over its alleged persecution of Muslims.

The Indian authorities reject the accusations, calling the panel’s approach “biased” and “prejudiced.” In a leaked June 1 letter from Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to an MP, the minister maintained that New Delhi “does not see the locus standi” of a foreign entity such as the US panel, that would allow it to pass judgments on the state of Indians’ religious freedoms and “constitutionally protected rights.”

USCIRF has been known to make prejudiced, inaccurate and misleading observations regarding the state of religious freedom in India. We do not take cognisance of these pronouncements and have repudiated such attempts to misrepresent information related to India.

The news came as the USCIRF issued its 2019 Report on International Religious Freedom. Released by State Secretary Mike Pompeo on Wednesday, the report castigates India over its failure to stop mob attacks on religious minorities and for allowing various forms of discrimination, mostly citing data provided by various NGOs. It also highlights New Delhi’s decision to revoke the special status of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir state, as well as the passing of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), which, it argues, is discriminatory towards Muslims.

The citizenship bill has become a particular stumbling block in relations between the two nations. Back in April, the USCIRF recommended including India on a list of nations of “particular concern” – something it already did in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, and 2010. The Indian Foreign Ministry has struck back by saying it would consider the US panel “an organization of particular concern and will treat it accordingly.”

It also issued a damning statement criticizing the latest international religious freedom report. “We reject the observations on India in the USCIRF Annual Report. Its biased and tendentious comments against India are not new. But on this occasion, its misrepresentation has reached new levels,” the ministry’s spokesperson, Anurag Srivastava, said.

The US Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, Samuel Brownback, apparently sought to calm tensions following the release of the report by saying that India has “historically just been a very tolerant, respectful country of religions, of all religions” and called for “interfaith dialog.” However, he also said that Washington remains “very concerned about what's taking place in India.”

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