A day after rejecting visa of a three-member US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), the Indian Embassy in Washington defended it move saying India does not allow visits of such groups from different countries. It also questioned the locus standi of a foreign entity like USCIRF to pass judgment and comment on the state of Indian citizens’ constitutionally protected rights.
Sources in Indian Government further clarified that India does not allow groups like this from any country to visit India and there is no precedence of USCIRF being allowed in the past too. However, there are no issues on the visits from commissions and panels of the United Nations. In fact, the UN Commissioner for Human Rights visited India in March 2009.
“There is no change in the policy of the Government of India with respect to such visits. India is a vibrant pluralistic society founded on strong democratic principles. The Indian Constitution guarantees fundamental rights to all its citizens including the right to freedom of religion. We do not see the locus standi of a foreign entity like USCIRF to pass its judgment and comment on the state of Indian citizens’ constitutionally protected rights,” the Indian embassy said in a statement from Washington.
The statement also added that India looks forward to continuing working with the United States Government for sharing of experience and best practice on all issues of mutual interest under the established bilateral mechanisms like the India-United States Global Issues Forum.
The USCIRF, a bipartisan body that monitors religious freedom abroad, expressed disappointment at the denial of visas for what it said was a long planned trip to India. The goal of the Commission’s trip was to discuss and assess religious freedom conditions in India, it said.
The USCIRF delegation was scheduled to leave on March 4 and claimed to have the support of the State Department and the US Embassy in New Delhi. “USCIRF will continue to pursue a visit to India, given the ongoing reports from religious communities, civil society groups, and NGOs that the conditions for religious freedom in India have been deteriorating since 2014,” George said. In its 2015 report, USCIRF said incidents of religiously motivated and communal violence had reportedly increased for three consecutive years.