Diplomatic row: India rejects US State Department's report
On International Religious Freedom for 2023, termed biased
Agency
NEW DELHI, June 28, 2024: India has rejected the US State Department's report on International Religious Freedom for 2023, claiming it is deeply biased. The report has been criticised for its lack of understanding of India's social fabric, its prescriptive outlook, and its selective use of facts, as asserted by the MEA.
The ministry also stated that the report challenges the validity of laws and regulations, questions the right of legislatures to enact them, and undermines the integrity of certain legal judgments made by Indian courts. The spokesperson for the External Affairs Ministry, Randhir Jaiswal, strongly argued that “the US itself has even more stringent laws and regulations”.
He emphasised that human rights and respect for diversity have been legitimate topics of discussion between India and the US. India has also raised numerous cases of hate crimes, racial attacks, vandalism, violence, and mistreatment of law enforcement authorities in the US.
Jaiswal stressed that such dialogues should not be used as a means for foreign interference in other countries' politics.
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