US senator urges Biden to push India to end persecution of religious minorities, ‘US must speak when any country…’

A US Senator has introduced a resolution in the Senate, calling on the Biden administration to engage with India regarding its policies that allegedly discriminate on the basis of religion and promote an end to violence against peaceful protesters

Senator Tammy Baldwin said in a statement, “Religious freedom is a fundamental human right, and when any country infringes on it, the United States must stand up and speak out"

"I am calling on the United States to continue pushing the government of India to reverse course on the systematic religious and political persecution that is endangering and disenfranchising innocent civilians,” he said.

The resolution urges the government to engage with the Indian government to end the persecution of, and violence against, religious minorities and human rights defenders in India, and work to reverse government policies that discriminate against Muslims and Christians on the basis of faith.

It also calls for an end to the demolition of homes, businesses, and places of worship belonging to Muslims and Christians.

Rasheed Ahmed, Executive Director of the Indian American Muslim Council, welcomed the resolution saying, as reported by PTI “rising social conflict and democratic backslide in India will weaken and not strengthen India’s relevance as a global bulwark against anti-democratic forces.”

In May of this year, India's External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi, dismissed US State Department reports on religious freedom as biased and misinformed. He argued that these reports relied on flawed information and lacked a proper understanding of the situation in the country.

(With inputs from PTI)