Washington:

Observing that the USCIRF’s current annual report that criticised India for alleged violations of spiritual freedom is predicated on omission and fee of information utilising partial information, an Indian expatriates’ think-tank has urged the US State Division to reject it.

In its annual report on Wednesday, the US Fee on Worldwide Spiritual Freedom (USCIRF) really helpful that India be designated as a “Nation of Explicit Concern (CPC)”, alleging that the standing of spiritual freedom within the nation has worsened.

India on Thursday blasted the Congressional-appointed physique’s report for trying to “intrude” in its electoral train and persevering with to bask in “propaganda” towards the nation, “masquerading” as a part of an annual report.

“The US Fee on Worldwide Spiritual Freedom is named a biased organisation with a political agenda. They proceed to publish their propaganda on India masquerading as a part of an annual report,” Ministry of Exterior Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal mentioned in New Delhi.

In a press release on Thursday, the Basis for India and Indian Diaspora Research (FIIDS) characterised the USCIRF report as biased, presenting partial information and flawed conclusions.

Khanderao Kand, Chief of Coverage and Technique at FIIDS, acknowledged that the USCIRF report is predicated on “omission and fee of information, utilising partial information, hiding the complete context, generalising remoted incidents, and questioning the implementation of the legislation of the land.”

“This report used partial and remoted incidents to wrongly model the most important democracy on the earth with a inhabitants of 1.4 billion, lacking the chance to point optimistic current tendencies towards the background of a posh and violent previous historical past,” he mentioned.

Khanderao added that the USCIRF is improper to suggest the most important democracy and largely peaceable civilisation as a rustic of specific concern.

“Furthermore, it’s extremely questionable advice asking to judge India below FATF (Monetary Motion Activity Drive), particularly when India itself has been a goal of terrorism,” he mentioned.

In an in depth evaluation of the report, FIIDS mentioned that USCIRF’s place on India contrasts with its evaluation of 2023, indicating important year-over-year enchancment.

FIIDS’ evaluation concluded that the Manipur riots had been inter-tribal, ensuing from historic rivalry exploited by drug mafias and Myanmar infiltrators, impacting all religions.

“Nevertheless, the USCIRF solely singled out Christians. Furthermore, we contrasted this with the place of the Archbishop of Bombay,” mentioned FIIDS’s analyst Mohan Sonti.

“The report wrongly held India liable for implementing the Overseas Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), stopping unlawful and improper use of international funding. Why cannot NGOs observe reporting and utilization legal guidelines?” he requested.

The USCIRF report failed to say India’s constitutional assure to freedom of faith, with prohibitions on coercive, fraudulent and compelled conversion, he mentioned.

“As an alternative, it complained concerning the enforcement of legal guidelines making an attempt to guard gullible, underprivileged individuals,” he added.

“As there have been no main Hindu-Muslim riots in India in 2023, as a substitute of mentioning it as a yr freed from such riots, the report introduced remoted incidents to generalise and model with out acknowledging India’s giant Muslim inhabitants,” FIIDS mentioned.

“FIIDS’ raises doubts and questions concerning any affect or agenda towards the third-largest financial system and a robust ally of the US. Contemplating the consequential nature of US-India relations in 2021, FIIDS recommends that the US Division of State ought to rigorously consider and reject USCIRF suggestions,” the organisation mentioned in a press release.

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