US voices concern over religious freedom in India

Taking serious concern over the recent spate of attacks on the Christian community, the United States urged the Indian government to protect the religious freedom throughout the country.

"We urge all parties to refrain from violence and urge government officials to protect religious freedom throughout India and thus preserve India's longstanding tradition of religious tolerance," said Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, John Hanford.

Hanford made the remarks while presenting the 10th Annual State Department Report on International Religious Freedom, which is mandated every year by the United State Congress.

"Despite the central government's efforts to foster communal harmony, we have seen more violence against Christians in the state of Orissa, where religious factors, combined with underlying social, economic, and ethnic grievances, have sparked unrest, just in the past few weeks," Hanford said.

"We are also concerned about the killing of a prominent Hindu religious leader that sparked the recent unrest in the state," he added.

The State department condemned the persecution of minorities, particularly in states governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "In Orissa, governed by a coalition government that include the BJP and the Biju Janata Dal(BJD), Hindu extremists attacked Christian villagers and churches in the Kandhamal district over the Christmas holidays," it said.

The Commission has even urged President George W Bush to raise the matter with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during their meeting on Thursday.

"The US government can and should urge the Indian central government to make more vigorous and effective efforts to stem violence against religious minority communities," USCIRF Chairman, Felice Gaer, said in a letter to Bush.

"If India is to exercise global leadership as the largest and perhaps most pluralistic democracy in the world, Prime Minister Singh should demonstrate his governments commitment to uphold the basic human rights obligations to which it has agreed, including the protection of religious minorities," Gaer told the President while pointing out the attacks on Christians in the State of Orissa.

Urging for an immediate probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation, Gaer said, "The Indian governments response to the egregious violence in Orissa remains inadequate. When it was quickly evident that Orissa state police were unable to contain escalating violence in December 2007 and during the current riots, the central government offered assistance at a sluggish rate."

Meanwhile, the European Union Parliamentarians expressed deep concerns over religious violence in the country, even as they discussed ways to negotiate a free trade deal with India.

"It is high time for the government in New Delhi to hear some bitter words about the violation of freedom of religion in that country," said Polish MP Konrad Szymanski, summing up the mood for some in the chamber.

"People die, churches are demolished and justice is extremely passive on that. We cannot agree to a law that prohibits Christianity in some parts of India. We are awaiting steps to be taken," he added, saying the EU–India summit must tackle the issue.

Even though Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made a "courageous intervention" by calling such incidents a national disgrace, "we are seriously concerned by the violence against different faiths and notably the Christian community" he stressed.

The European Union is India's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade crossing 55.6 billion euros last year.

The violence since the month of August 23 has paralyzed the Christian community in the country, causing deaths, destruction of churches and fleeing of thousands to forests in Orissa state.

In Karnataka last week, at least 30 churches were vandalised and over 20 nuns/women were injured as violence spread to other parts of the nation.