The US State Department has released its annual report on international religious freedom, highlighting serious concerns about the treatment of religious minorities in India and Pakistan.
In India, the report underscores the troubling situation faced by Muslim and Christian communities. The “2023 Report on International Religious Freedom” report released on Wednesday notes that discriminatory behaviour against these groups has been prevalent.
In February, 20,000 Christians protested in New Delhi against increasing violence. In March, 93 former senior government officials penned an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing concerns over the persistent harassment of Christians by political party leaders. The report details incidents where Christians and Muslims were arrested under anti-conversion laws and faced harassment based on false allegations.
“Christians and Muslims were arrested under laws banning forced religious conversions, which religious groups said in some cases were used to harass and imprison members of religious minority groups on false and fabricated charges or for lawful religious practices,” states the report.
“In some cases, Christian groups said local police aided mobs that disrupted worship services over accusations of conversion activities or stood by while mobs attacked Christians and then arrested the victims on conversion charges.”
Violent incidents against the Christian community have escalated across India. The actions and statements of BJP members often contradicted the positive statements from government officials. The Indian government has been urged to investigate and take legal action against those responsible for violence against minority groups.
