US religious freedom watchdog puts India under 'Watch List'

The US government watchdog on religious freedom has placed India on its "Watch List" for frequent outbreaks of violence against minorities, especially Christians.

Releasing its 2009 country report on India, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Wednesday said India earned the Watch List designation due to increase in communal violence and government's largely inadequate response.

The report, citing last year's violence against Christians in Orissa and the 2002 violence on Muslims in Gujarat, sharply criticized the Indian government for its failure to protect the rights of religious minorities.

"It is extremely disappointing that India, which has a multitude of religious communities, has done so little to protect and bring justice to its religious minorities under siege," said Leonard Leo, USCIRF chair. "USCIRF's India chapter was released this week to mark the one-year anniversary of the start of the anti-Christian violence in Orissa."

Last year in Orissa, the murder of Swami Saraswati by Maoist rebels in Kandhamal sparked a prolonged and destructive campaign targeting Christians in Orissa, resulting in attacks against churches and individuals, the government-sponsored commission said.

"These attacks largely were carried out by individuals associated with Hindu nationalist groups, and resulted in at least 40 deaths and the destruction of hundreds of homes and dozens of churches. Tens of thousands were displaced and today many still remain in refugee camps, afraid to return home."

Any country that is designated on the USCIRF Watch List requires "close monitoring due to the nature and extent of violations of religious freedom engaged in or tolerated by the government."

The other countries currently on USCIRF's Watch List are Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, Laos, the Russian Federation, Somalia, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Venezuela.

"India's democratic institutions charged with upholding the rule of law, most notably state and central judiciaries and police, have emerged as unwilling or unable to seek redress for victims of the violence. More must be done to ensure future violence does not occur and that perpetrators are held accountable," said Mr. Leo.

The USCIRF also noted the country's deficiencies in investigating and prosecuting cases which it said had resulted in a culture of impunity that gives members of vulnerable minority communities few assurances of their safety, particularly in areas with a history of communal violence, and little hope of perpetrator accountability.

The report recommends that the Obama Administration urge the government of India to take new measures to promote communal harmony, protect religious minorities, and prevent communal violence.

To achieve this, it asked the US President to call on political parties and religious or social organizations in India to publicly denounce violence against and harassment of religious minorities, women, and low-caste members, and to acknowledge that such violence constitutes a crime under Indian law.

The USCIRF releases its annual report on religious freedom each May. This year, however, the India chapter was delayed after a delegation was denied entry visas by the Indian government.

USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan federal government commission. Its commissioners are appointed by the US president and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives.