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India on Watch List
US Commission blacklists the world’s largest democracy for lack of
religious freedoms in its latest report; India cries foul
Jagmohan Singh
CHANDIGARH/NEW
DELHI/WASHINGTON: India refused to take benefit of the nearly four
month delay in the preparation of the 2009 annual report of the
independent and bipartisan United States Commission for
International Religious Freedoms as the body was left with no choice
but to place India under watch for “its largely inadequate response
in protecting its religious minorities.”
While the
largest democracy in the world is keen to be acknowledged as a
growing economic power, it is lagging behind in the race on the
front of human rights and protection of religious rights of various
communities in the country, particularly Muslim, Christian, Sikh and
Dalits.
 The
2009 annual report of USCIRF India section was delayed as they
wanted to come to India and take first hand stock of the situation
in Orissa and
Gujarat.
The government of the largest democracy took refuge and raised the
iron curtain to join
Cuba in stopping
the US commission directors to come to India, after initially
agreeing in principle.
Placing India on
the Watch List, USCIRF chair Leonard Leo said, “It is extremely
disappointing that India, which has a multitude of religious
communities, has done so little to protect and bring justice to its
religious minorities under siege.” USCIRF said India earned the
Watch List designation due to the disturbing increase in communal
violence against religious minorities– specifically Christians in
Orissa in 2008 and Muslims in Gujarat in 2002.
Any country that
is designated on the USCIRF Watch List requires “close monitoring
due to the nature and extent of violations of religious freedom
engaged in or tolerated by the government.” “India’s democratic
institutions charged with upholding the rule of law, most notably
state and central judiciaries and police, have emerged as unwilling
or unable to seek redress for victims of the violence. More must be
done to ensure future violence does not occur and that perpetrators
are held accountable,” said Mr. Leo.
USCIRF’s Watch
List apart from India includes Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt,
Indonesia, Laos, the Russian Federation, Somalia, Tajikistan, Turkey
and Venezuela.
As far as the
Sikh community is concerned, the report has this to say, “The
failure to provide justice to religious minorities targeted in
violent riots in India is not a new development, and has helped
foster a climate of impunity. In 1984, anti-Sikh riots erupted in
Delhi following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by
her Sikh bodyguard. Over 4 days, nearly 3,000 Sikhs were killed,
allegedly with the support of Congress Party officials. Few
perpetrators were ever held accountable, and only years after the
fact. In April 2009, the Congress Party dropped Jagdish Tytler and
Sajjan Kumar from its roster of general election candidates over
their suspected role in the 1984 riots.”
 The
USCIRF report notes that “the deficiencies in investigating and
prosecuting cases have resulted in a culture of impunity that gives
members of vulnerable minority communities few assurances of their
safety, particularly in areas with a history of communal violence
and little hope of perpetrator accountability.”
While President Obama calls India, its “natural ally”, it would be
interesting to watch how the Obama administration reacts to the
recommendation of this Commission whose Commissioners have been
appointed by the previous Bush administration. Undoubtedly, the US
official reaction has been to stand by the report, but minorities
will watch out for the final denouement, particularly in view of the
statement of the Commission that, “it wants to have freedom of
religion to be an integral part of the Indo-US public diplomacy.
More significant was the statement made to the media by the USCIRF
chair. He said, "We believe human rights and freedom of religion and
belief in particular need to be overlaid when you talk about other
important economic and security issues."
Shiromani Akali
Dal (Panch Pardhani) has welcomed the
US
report and has asked India to do introspection about its secular
credentials. Human rights body –Voices for Freedom, which had
interacted earlier with USCIRF has sought more urgent intervention
by the body to ensure that minority rights are protected. Not
satisfied with the non-inclusion of many generic issues of Sikhs in
the report, Sikh bodies across Punjab and US are contemplating more
direct engagement with the body to convince it of legal and
constitutional discrimination against the Sikhs.
Rubbishing the
oft-repeated propaganda of US intervention in internal affairs of
another country, this time India, the chairperson of USCIRF, Leonard
Leo made a classical remark, “In making its watch list
determination, the USCIRF is hoping to have constructive discussion
and dialogue about how it can make sure that freedom of religion and
belief is an integrated part of the public diplomacy and foreign
policy between the two countries. We hope that USCIRF's watch list
determination, will lead to recognition that protection of religious
minorities and various forms of communal violence is one way of
achieving our shared objective and vision.”
Jagmohan
Singh may be contacted at
jsbigideas@gmail.com
19
August 2009
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