India rejects US State dept report on religious freedom, says selective use of facts

The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday said the US State Department’s 2023 religious freedom report is deeply biased and lacks an understanding of India’s social fabric.

Addressing the media, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: "We have noted the release of the US State Department’s report on international religious freedom for 2023. As in the past, the report is deeply biased, lacks an understanding of India's social fabric, and is visibly driven by vote bank considerations and a prescriptive outlook. We, therefore, reject it."

He further stated that “the excise itself is a mix of imputations, misrepresentations, selective usage of facts, reliance on biased sources, and a one-sided projection of issues.” “This extends even to the depiction of our constitutional provisions and duly enacted laws of India,” he added.

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken unveiled the State Department's 2023 religious freedom report that covered over 200 countries. In that report, it was highlighted that there is a "concerning increase" in hate speech, anti-conversion laws, and the demolition of homes and places of worship affecting minority groups in India.

Responding to this, Jaiswal said that the report has selectively picked incidents to advance a preconceived narrative as well. “In some cases, the very validity of laws and regulations are questioned by the report, as are the right of legislatures to enact them. The report also appears to challenge the integrity of certain legal judgments given by Indian courts,” he said.