Deeply biased; driven by votebank considerations, says India trashing US report on religious freedom
New Delhi, Jun 28: In an unusually hard-hitting response to criticism against it in a US government report on religious freedom, India on Friday described the findings as "deeply biased", visibly driven by "votebank" considerations and a mix of imputations and selective usage of facts.
Dismissing the report, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said it selectively picked incidents to advance a "preconceived narrative" and even appeared to challenge the integrity of certain legal judgments pronounced by Indian courts.
The US State Department's 2023 report on religious freedom referred to violent attacks on minority communities in India including killings and assaults besides citing violence in the northeastern state of Manipur.
"As in the past, the report is deeply biased, lacks understanding of India's social fabric and is visibly driven by vote bank considerations and a prescriptive outlook. We, therefore, reject it," Jaiswal said.
"The exercise itself is a mix of imputations, misrepresentations, selective usage of facts, reliance on biased sources and a one-sided projection of issues," he said.
"This extends even to the depiction of our Constitutional provisions and duly enacted laws of India. It has selectively picked incidents to advance a preconceived narrative as well," Jaiswal added.
The spokesperson argued that the report appeared to "challenge" the integrity of certain legal judgements given by Indian courts.
"In some cases, the very validity of laws and regulations are questioned by the report, as are the right of legislatures to enact them," he said.
"The report has also targeted regulations that monitor misuse of financial flows into India. Suggesting that the burden of compliance is unreasonable, it seeks to question the need for such measures," Jaiswal said.
He said the United States has even more stringent laws and regulations and would surely not prescribe such solutions for itself.
Human rights and respect for diversity have been and remain a legitimate subject of discussion between India and the US, he added.
"In 2023, India has officially taken up numerous cases in the US of hate crimes, racial attacks on Indian nationals and other minorities, vandalization and targeting of places of worship, violence and mistreatment by law enforcement authorities, as well as the according of political space to advocates of extremism and terrorism abroad," he said.
"However, such dialogues should not become a licence for foreign interference in other polities," Jaiswal said.
In his remarks at the release of the report on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there has been a "concerning increase" in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, and demolitions of homes and places of worship of members of minority faith communities in India.
"In India, we see a concerning increase in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, demolitions of homes and places of worship for members of minority faith communities," Blinken said.
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NIA court to complete framing of charges against 2010 hand-chopping case accused on May 15
Kochi (PTI): A special court here will complete proceedings for framing charges against the prime accused in the 2010 hand-chopping case involving professor T J Joseph, in which PFI activists were accused of attacking him at Muvattupuzha.
Ernakulam Special Court for NIA cases judge P K Mohandas, on April 30, heard the arguments of counsel for accused Savad and Shafeer C and decided to proceed with framing charges against the duo.
A group chopped off Thodupuzha Newman College professor Joseph's right hand in July 2010, accusing him of religious blasphemy in a question paper he had prepared.
The case, later taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), resulted in the conviction of 19 accused.
The first accused, Savad, who allegedly chopped off Joseph’s palm, was arrested in Berram in Mattannur, Kannur, in January 2024, where he had allegedly been hiding under the pseudonym Shajahan.
The NIA also arrested Shafeer, who allegedly arranged shelter and provided logistical support to Savad at Chakkad and Mattannur in Kannur since 2020.
On April 30, the court heard the counsel for the accused and the NIA prosecutor on framing charges against the duo.
"On going through the documents and evidence in the case and on hearing the counsel for the accused and the prosecutor, I am of the opinion that there are grounds for presuming that the first accused has committed offences punishable under provisions of the IPC, the Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and that the second accused has committed offences punishable under the IPC and the UAPA, and there are materials for framing charges under these provisions against the accused," the court said.
The court directed that Savad be produced and Shafeer, who is on bail, appear before it on May 15 for recording their pleas as part of the charge-framing process.
After framing the charges, the court will schedule the trial in the case.
