US report on religious freedom puts spotlight on anti-conversion law, weak prosecution

While the Indian government generally respected religious freedom, some state and local governments limited this freedom by maintaining or enforcing existing "anticonversion" legislation and by not effectively prosecuting those who attacked religious minorities, the United States government said in its report on the status of religious freedom in India.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday released the State Department's International Religious Freedom report for the second half of 2010 that exposes governments that continue to repress religious freedom and persecute persons on the basis of their religion.

Giving reasons to India's failure in countering communal attacks, the report said the country did not swiftly address communal tensions due to "weak law enforcement, lack of trained police, and overburdened court system."

"The law generally provided remedies for violations of religious freedom; however, due to a lack of sufficiently trained police and elements of corruption, the law was not always enforced rigorously or effectively in some cases pertaining to religiously oriented violence," the report said.

Despite government efforts to foster communal harmony, some extremists continued to view ineffective investigation and prosecution of attacks on religious minorities as a signal that they could commit such violence with impunity, the report said.

Although there were no reports accusing the national government of committing abuses of religious freedom, the report pointed that human rights activists criticized the government for alleged inaction regarding abuses committed by state and local authorities and private citizens.

"Law enforcement and prosecution continued to be weak. This shortcoming was exacerbated by a low police to population ratio, corruption, and an overburdened, antiquated court system."

The report noted that while the UPA Government continued to implement an inclusive and secular platform that included respect for the right to religious freedom, a few state and local governments continued to be influenced by Hindutva.

During meetings with senior government officials, as well as state and local officials, and religious community leaders, the report said US officials discussed religious freedom issues including reports of harassment of minority groups and missionaries, the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat, and the 2008 violence against Christians in Orissa and Karnataka.

The report meanwhile specifically makes references to lack of justice for the victims of Kandhamal violence. "While the pace of justice delivery in Orissa has been faster in other cases of communal violence, the speedy verdicts in Orissa have upset many Kandhamal victims who complain that the fast-track courts have acquitted offenders," the report said.

Citing figures it went on to point that Fast Track Court One had convicted 110 and acquitted 783 while Fast Track Court Two had 201 convictions and 484 acquittals.

The US state report has come just months after US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) placed India on Watch List for continuous incidents of religious violence and impunity from such violence.

The latest report documents major developments with respect to religious freedom in 198 countries and territories from July-December 2010

The report designates eight states as countries of particular concern. They are Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan

Shining a spotlight on violations of religious freedom around the world is one of our goals in releasing this report said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"As we release this report, we reaffirm the role that religious freedom and tolerance play in building stable and harmonious societies," Clinton said during the release of the report.

"It is our core conviction that religious tolerance is one of the essential elements not only of a sustainable democracy but of a peaceful society that respects the rights and dignity of each individual."