A report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) stated that religious freedom continued to decline as attacks and discrimination against minorities increased in India during 2024.
The report mentioned that prior to the national elections in June, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, propagated hateful rhetoric and disinformation against Muslims and other religious minorities to gather political support.
“Such rhetoric fuelled attacks on religious minorities that continued after the election, including vigilante violence, targeted and arbitrary killings, and demolition of property and places of worship,” the USCIRF report said.
According to the report, the Indian government also continued to expand its repressive tactics to target religious minorities abroad, specifically members of the Sikh community and their advocates.
The USCIRF report also disclosed that international reporting and intelligence from the Canadian government corroborated allegations linking an official of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and six diplomats to the 2023 assassination attempt of an American Sikh activist in New York.
“Authorities wielded discriminatory state-level anti-conversion laws and cow slaughter laws to target religious minorities. In June and July, police in Uttar Pradesh detained 20 Christians, including four pastors, under accusations of violating the state’s anti-conversion law.”
It is important to note that USCIRF issued its annual list of countries it considers to be the most egregious violators of religious liberty. It urged the new Trump administration to appoint a new ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.
“The administration of President Donald Trump faces a complex international environment in which to build on its previous success of centering religious freedom as a cornerstone of foreign policy and global leadership,” read the report.
Examples of people who have held to their religious beliefs even amid Islamophobia and other forms of religious hostilities have also been included in the report.
Key Statistics and Numerical Data:
- Hateful Rhetoric and Disinformation: The report alleges that members of the ruling BJP, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, used hateful rhetoric and disinformation against Muslims and other religious minorities to gain political support leading up to the June national elections. However, the report does not provide concrete numbers of how many speeches, or social media posts contained this rhetoric.
- Attacks on Religious Minorities: The report states that attacks on religious minorities continued after the election, including vigilante violence, targeted and arbitrary killings, and demolition of property and places of worship. However, the report does not provide concrete numbers of these occurrences.
- Targeting Religious Minorities Abroad: The Indian government is accused of expanding its repressive tactics to target religious minorities abroad, particularly members of the Sikh community. The report notes that Canadian government intelligence corroborated allegations linking an official of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and six diplomats to the 2023 assassination attempt of an American Sikh activist in New York.
- Discriminatory Laws: Authorities used discriminatory state-level anti-conversion laws and cow slaughter laws to target religious minorities. Specifically, in June and July, police in Uttar Pradesh detained 20 Christians, including four pastors, under accusations of violating the state’s anti-conversion law.
- USCIRF Recommendations: The USCIRF urged the new Trump administration to appoint a new ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. The report did not give a number of how many countries are considered egregious violators of religious liberty.
