New Delhi: Taking strong objection to United States of America’s Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) making comments on India’s internal matters without understanding the dynamics of issues, Indian ambassador Mr Vinay Mohan Kwatra asked the body to introspect on its own prejudices and stop lecturing others, after the bipartisan agency flagged arrests in India allegedly on religious grounds.
Reacting to the post, India’s envoy to US Mr Kwatra said, “USCRIF has no locus standi to sit in judgment over the constitutional rights of Indian citizens. Its habitual partisan, ill-informed, and jaundiced assessments cannot diminish India’s constitutional commitment to religious freedom and equal rights for all faiths. India flourishes by defying the agenda-driven partisan narratives of the USCIRF. Taking the same liberty that USCIRF so readily assumes, a word of advice: introspect on your own prejudices and stop lecturing others.”
Mr Kwatra’s sharp retort on Friday came after the USCRIF shared Sharjeel Imam’s profile on X, describing him as “a Muslim man detained in India for his religious freedom advocacy”. The website had the profile of Imam that said in January 2020, Indian authorities arrested Imam, a Muslim student activist, for participating in peaceful protests opposing the religious discriminatory Citizen Amendment Act (CAA) in December 2019 and January 2020. It added that authorities accused him of inciting communal violence through speeches made at the protests and in August 2020 he was charged with rioting with a deadly weapon, murder, attempted murder, sedition, “promoting enmity on grounds of religion,” unlawful activities, terrorist acts, raising funds for terrorist acts, and conspiracy.
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