‘Minorities in India faced violent attacks under new govt’

Religious minorities in India have been subjected to “violent attacks, forced conversions” and ‘Ghar Wapsi’ campaigns by groups like RSS after the Modi government assumed power in 2014, a US Congress-established panel has said. 

In its 2015 annual report, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom asked the Obama Administration to press the Indian government to publicly rebuke officials and religious leaders who make derogatory remarks about communities and to boost religious freedom standards in India. The panel said that despite the country’s status as a pluralistic, secular democracy, India has long struggled to protect minority religious communities or provide justice when crimes occur, which perpetuates a climate of impunity.