For the third year in a row, the US commission recommends placing India on the religious freedom blacklist for alleged abuses.
The state of religious freedom in India has “deteriorated significantly” in the past year, a United States panel said, calling for targeted sanctions against the country over alleged abuses.
In its annual report released Monday, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) called on the State Department to add India to the US list of “Countries of Very High Concern” for the third straight year.
The independent bipartisan body accused India of “committing and tolerating systematic, persistent and egregious violations of religious freedom.”
USCIRF makes recommendations and documents alleged abuses, but the State Department ultimately makes the decision on the religious freedom blacklist.
“Throughout the year, the Indian government escalated its promotion and enforcement of policies – including those promoting a Hindu nationalist agenda – that negatively impact Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits and other religious minorities,” the report said (PDF).
“The government continued to systematize its ideological vision of a Hindu state at both the national and state levels through the application of existing and new laws and structural changes hostile to the country’s religious minorities.”
India has previously rejected the commission’s recommendation to blacklist the country for alleged violations of religious freedom, calling its findings “biased”.
Monday’s report comes as US officials say they are seeking “maximum alignment” with India on Russia policy and the war in Ukraine. Washington has also strengthened ties with New Delhi amid growing competition with China.
US President Joe Biden held a virtual meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this month, and the two leaders will meet in Tokyo next month as part of a summit for leaders of the Asia-Pacific “quad” alliance , which also includes Japan and Australia.
Still, on Monday, USCIRF accused India of cracking down on human rights defenders of religious minorities.
The commission cracked down on the Indian government over a citizenship law that speeds up naturalization for non-Muslims, calling it “discriminatory”.
“Government actions, including continued enforcement of anti-conversion laws against non-Hindus, have created a culture of impunity for nationwide campaigns of threats and violence by mobs and vigilantes, including against Muslims and Christians accused of conversion activities,” the report reads.
India’s Muslim minority has faced mob violence and attacks from right-wing Hindu groups.
Separately, USCIRF called for Afghanistan to be designated a “Country of Special Concern” (CPC) following the Taliban takeover.
The current US State Department of Religious Freedom blacklist consists of China, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
“USCIRF typically recommends designating more countries as CPCs than the State Department will designate,” Nadine Maenza, the commission’s chair, told Al Jazeera last year. “Part of the discrepancy is that USCIRF can focus solely on the terms of religious freedom without having to weigh other bilateral issues.”