Ex-judges, diplomats flag bias in USCIRF religious freedom report | India News
New Delhi: A group of 275 former judges, bureaucrats, diplomats and veterans of the armed forces have raised objections to the latest report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), calling it “disturbing” and lacking in balance.In a joint statement dated March 21, the signatories questioned the methodology and conclusions of the USCIRF report, arguing that assessments of religious freedom should be based on long-term population trends rather than “selective or episodic narratives.”Citing census data, the statement pointed out that the minority population in India has stabilized or increased over the decades, contrasting with the decline of the Hindu population in Pakistan and Bangladesh since partition. According to the signatories, such trends “have not produced a sustained demographic contraction of India’s overall ecosystem… indicative of systemic oppression.”The group criticized what it described as a recurring trend by the USCIRF of negatively portraying Indian institutions and organizations such as the RSS without sufficient macro-level evidence. It said criticism must be based on “verifiable evidence and relevant understanding”.The statement further objected to USCIRF’s recommendations, which included calls for bans and restrictions on people associated with the RSS, calling them “highly motivated” and lacking credibility.Among the signatories are former Supreme Court judges, High Court judges, former Chief Election Commissioners, former ambassadors and more than 130 retired officers of the armed forces.Calling India a “robust democracy” with an established judicial and parliamentary system, the group called on the US government to review the basis of the USCIRF report and examine its contributors.
