US report commends UPA on religious freedom, slams Sangh Parivar

While the US government has given thumbs up to freedom of religion in India, it has sharply criticised state and local governments for rising communal tensions and enforcing flimsy laws targeting religious minorities.

In its annual report on international religious freedom released Wednesday, the US Department of State acknowledged that the Indian constitution provided for freedom of religion, but some state-level laws and policies restricted this freedom by enforcing anti-conversion laws and by not effectively prosecuting those responsible for violence.

"Despite strong official legal protections for minorities, weak law enforcement, a lack of trained police, and an overburdened court system played a role in exacerbating communal tensions," said the report released by secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

It hailed the UPA government for implementing an inclusive and secular platform that included respect for the right to religious freedom. It also observed that despite the national government's rejection of Hindutva, a few state and local governments continued to be influenced by its ideology.

"The law generally provided remedy for violations of religious freedom, however, due to a lack of sufficient trained police and corruption, the law was not always enforced rigorously or effectively in some cases pertaining to religiously oriented violence. Legal protections existed to cover discrimination or persecution by private actors," the report continued.

The report documented widespread atrocities against minorities that includes vandalism against religious properties, discrimination against dalits and allegations of police brutality. It quoted the Ministry of Home Affairs' 2009-10 Annual Report informing there were 826 instances of communal violence in which 125 persons were killed and 2,424 injured. According to that report, there were 76 incidents of Hindu-Christian violence in 2009, which resulted in two deaths and 44 injuries, compared to 44 deaths and 82 injuries in 2008.

The report further noted that were anti-conversion laws in six of the 28 states, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) although publicly claimed to respect and tolerate other religious groups, expressed the view that "all citizens, regardless of their religious affiliation, should adhere to Hindu cultural values".

However, the report also mentioned the positive developments in respect for religious freedom. The government's allocation of funds to the National Minorities Development Finance Corporation (NMDFC) for funding programs for minority welfare; Prime Minister's 15 Point Program for the Welfare of Minorities; Gujarat High Court's order to the state government to resolve the issue of restoring destroyed or damaged mosques; Justice Somasekara commission's interim report stressing protection to all religions and institutions, especially to minority religions; and the NHRC and NCM which promoted freedom of religion.

Releasing the report, secretary of state Hillary Clinton said the US did not intend to "act as a judge of other countries or hold ourselves out as a perfect example, but the United States cares about religious freedom."

"We have worked hard to enforce religious freedom. We want to see religious freedom available universally. And we want to advocate for the brave men and women who around the world persist in practicing their beliefs in the face of hostility and violence," she said.

The State Department report monitors 198 countries on matters concerning religious freedom.