American Congress Commission continuously 4th year recommends India as the country of special concern regarding human rights
WASHINGTON, March 23 (SABAH): American Congress Commission continuously 4th year has recommended India as the country of special concern regarding human rights.
The experts recorded statements during the American Congress Commission meeting that Muslims and Christians are subjected to violence in India. Laws are used against the minorities and they are treated as second class citizens. Statements were also recorded regarding the ban on media, internet and other grave violations in India.
During the meeting of Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission United States Congress Chairman James p. McGovern said that the reason behind most of the problems is the effort of Indian PM Narendra Modi to convert Indian secular democracy to Hindu nation. He said that if issues of the human rights violations were not addressed then the future of India would be in danger.
He said that the State Department’s most recent human rights report covering 2022 identified significant problems including restrictions on religious and press freedoms, violence targeted at national racial, ethnic and religious minorities, harassment and restrictions on civil society and human rights organizations, corruption and lack of accountability. The 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report found that overall anti trafficking efforts, especially against bonded labor, are still insufficient. As we will hear today, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom has recommended for some time that the State Department designate India as a country of particular concern. Many of the problems that most worry human rights observers have been linked to current Prime Minister Modi’s push to reshape India’s secular democracy into a Hindu First Nation. This coming April 19, India will begin multi-phase general elections that will determine the country’s political direction for the next five years. Prime Minister Modi is seeking a third term. I’m one of those people who thinks that friends should tell each other hard truths. India is a friend and it is truly important to the US that India prosper. Yet there is a real risk that the tensions inherent in diverse societies could harden into dangerous conflicts and undermine India’s bright future if human rights abuses are not addressed.
James p. McGovern said that the recent communal violence between ethnic Hindu and Christian communities in Manipur state is just one example. Congress must do its part to urge the Indian Government to correct course and reconsider policies and laws, including counterterrorism laws that are inconsistent with the obligations India has acquired through his ratification of key human rights treaties. That’s why we’re here today.
During the meeting Stephen Schneck said that human rights conditions in India are incredibly concerning. He said that the government led by the Bharatiya Janata or BJP party enforces discriminatory Hindu nationalist policies, perpetuates hateful rhetoric against religious communities, and in several instances has failed to address communal violence that disproportionately affects Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits Jews out of RCS and the adivasis who are indigenous peoples of India. Stephen Schneck said that Indian authorities also continue to detain religious minorities under various state level anti conversion laws, which are in effect as we just heard in 12 of the 28 Indian states. These laws enable and encourage Hindu nationalists to target and discriminate against religious minorities under the guise of protecting the Hindu faith and upholding state laws. In addition, 18 of 28 states have cow slaughter laws, which have been used as justification by vigilantes for violence targeting religious minorities for consuming or transporting cattle. In the lead up to national elections, such violence and hate speech against Muslims escalated to an alarming level.
Asia Advocacy Director Carolyn Nash said that over the last 10 years Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have documented efforts by BJP authorities to demonize and deny the rights of religious and ethnic groups in India. He said that the US government has recognized acts of transnational repression by the government of India in Canada, which led to the assassination of an activist as well as attempts here in the United States.
Ilhan Omar said that we’ve been concerned over the last several years about the treatment that Muslims and Christians are receiving in India. But I’m also increasingly concerned about the situation in Punjab and the treatment of the Sikhs. Of course, most notoriously, there was a plot by the Indian government to murder a Sikh, American activist last year and a successful plot to murder a Sikh activist in Canada. She said that the Indian government claims that is just politics and it should be accepted as politics. But are you and this is to NAS and Siften are you worried that this is really starting to come? down to Sikhs as a whole?