Committed to Tolerance: India Rejects Report on Religious Freedoms

Report says: “mob attacks by violent extremist Hindu groups against minority communities” went on through the year.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that there is “no locus standi for a foreign entity to pronounce on the state of our citizens’ constitutionally protected rights.”

(Photo: PTI)

Rejecting the findings of a report on international religious freedom that spoke about alleged incidents of religious tensions in India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Sunday, 23 June said that India is proud of its secular credentials and is committed to tolerance and inclusion, reported ANI.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that there is "no locus standi for a foreign entity to pronounce on the state of our citizens’ constitutionally protected rights.”

The report, titled "Report on International Religious Freedom 2018" is published by the US State Department and was released on 21 June.

It states that “mob attacks by violent extremist Hindu groups against minority communities” continued throughout the year in India, PTI reported.

Rejecting the report, the statement by the MEA said, "India is proud of its secular credentials, it's status as the largest democracy and a pluralistic society with a longstanding commitment to tolerance and inclusion.”

It added that the Indian Constitution guarantees fundamental rights to all its citizens, including its minority communities.

Report Shows Clear Bias Against Modi Govt: BJP

The BJP had slammed the report on Saturday, saying it showed a clear bias against the Narendra Modi government, asserting that its leaders had strongly deplored violence against minorities and weaker sections of society, PTI reported.

In a statement, BJP media head and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni said, "The basic presumption in this report that there is some grand design behind anti-minority violence is simply false. On the contrary, in most of such cases, these instances are carried out as a result of local disputes and by (people with) criminal mindsets."

Whenever needed, PM Modi and other BJP leaders have strongly deplored violence against minorities and weaker sections of the society, he added.

Baluni said India has deep-rooted democratic institutions, including fiercely independent and pro-active judiciary, which is quite capable of handling such disputes and punishing the guilty.

Unfortunately, this fact is completely ignored in this report, he said, adding that the Bharatiya Janata Party under the leadership of Modi believes in "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas”, PTI reported.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI.)