‘Factually incorrect, misleading’: India on US panel statement on Delhi violence

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Feb 27, 2020: India has said that the comments made by United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Delhi violence are factually inaccurate and misleading, Hindustan Times reported.

 

“We have seen comments made by United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), sections of media and a few individuals on recent incidents of violence in Delhi. These are factually inaccurate and misleading, and appear to be aimed at politicising the issue,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Thursday.

“Our law enforcement agencies are working on the ground to prevent violence and ensure restoration of confidence and normalcy. Senior representatives of the government have been involved in that process. Prime Minister has publically appealed for peace and brotherhood. We would urge that irresponsible comments are not made at this sensitive time,” MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

Expressing “grave concern” over it, the USCIRF had said on Wednesday that the Indian government should provide protection to people regardless of their faith amid reports of attack on Muslims.

“We urge the Indian government to make serious efforts to protect Muslims and others targeted by mob violence,” USCIRF Chair Tony Perkins said in a statement.

At least 30 people have been killed and over 250 injured in the violence over Citizenship Amendment Act or CAA in Northeast Delhi.

“The ongoing violence we are witnessing in Delhi and the reported attacks against Muslims, their homes and shops, and their houses of worship are greatly disturbing. One of the essential duties of any responsible government is to provide protection and physical security for its citizens, regardless of faith,” Perkins said in the statement.

USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava too had said the “brutal and unchecked violence” across Delhi cannot continue. “The Indian government must take swift action to ensure the safety of its citizens,” she had said, adding that reports are mounting that the “Delhi Police have not intervened in violent attacks against Muslims, and the government is failing in its duty to protect its citizens”.

In its 2019 report, the USCIRF had classified India as a “Tier 2” country for engaging in or tolerating religious freedom violations that meet at least one of the elements of the “systematic, ongoing, egregious standard for designations as a country of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act.