The US State Department’s 2023 Religious Freedom Report on India noted violent attacks on minority groups, particularly Muslims and Christians, including killings, assaults, and vandalism of places of worship.
The State Department’s report on international religious freedom released on Wednesday said that senior US officials “continued to raise concerns about religious freedom issues” with their Indian counterparts during the year.
Human rights experts say India has seen a rise in attacks on minorities under the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who recently won a third term, and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Political analysts say US criticism of India is usually tempered because of close economic ties and New Delhi’s importance to Washington in countering China.
The US report mentions dozens of incidents. One of these incidents includes the shooting of a security officer and three Muslims on a train near Mumbai. This incident was carried out by a suspect who was a railway security officer. According to the Indian Express newspaper, investigations are ongoing by Indian authorities in that case and the suspect is in jail.
The US report also cites instances of attacks against Muslims accusing the Muslim men of slaughtering cows or participating in the beef trade.
The Indian embassy in Washington had no immediate comment on the report. The Indian government denies discriminating against minorities and says its welfare policies – such as food subsidy schemes and electrification drives – are aimed at benefiting all Indians.
Human rights advocates oppose it and point to anti-Muslim hate speeches, the abrogation of the special status of Muslim-majority Kashmir, a citizenship law that the United Nations has called “fundamentally discriminatory,” and the demolition of Muslim properties in the name of removing illegal constructions.
The State Department report also mentions violence that broke out in May last year between minority (mainly Christian, Kuki) and majority (mainly Hindu, Meitei) ethnic groups in the northeastern state of Manipur.
Hindu and Christian places of worship were destroyed in Manipur. Citing a forum of local tribal leaders, the report said more than 250 churches were burned down, more than 200 people were killed and more than 60,000 displaced.
Hindus make up about 80% of India’s 1.4 billion population, while Muslims make up 14% and Christians just over 2%.
The report also points to anti-conversion laws in some Indian states, which human rights advocates say challenge the right to freedom of belief.
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