US ambassador at large for international religious freedom Sam Brownback on Wednesday said Washington is very concerned about what is happening in India with regard to religious freedom and fearing a growth in violence and difficulty in society as a result, if left unaddressed. He said this during a phone call with foreign journalists in Washington, hours after the US state department released the 2019 International Religious Freedom Report. We have a robust public discourse in India and constitutionally mandated institutions that guarantee protection of religious freedom and rule of law.’’India has traditionally resisted any comment on this count from foreign governments and this is a policy that the Modi government is continuing to adhere to. Earlier this year in April, India got its harshest rating since 2004 from the bipartisan United States Commission on International Religious Freedom which has recommended to the state department to place the country among the “Countries of Particular Concern” along with Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, China and eight other nations where governments engage in or tolerate particularly serious violations of religious freedom. The US state department, as per law, has to act on the recommendations within 90 days of publication of the International Religious Freedom Report.

Source: The Telegraph June 11, 2020 23:37 UTC