A US official said late Thursday that some Indian officials are ignoring or even supporting rising attacks on people and places of worship in the country, following the release of a report on religious freedom globally in 2021.
According to the report, attacks on members of religious minority communities, including killings, assaults, and intimidation, occurred throughout India last year. Cow vigilantism refers to attacks on non-Hindus for allegedly slaughtering cows or trading in beef.
Cows are considered sacred by the vast majority of Hindus, who account for roughly 80% of India’s 1.35 billion people. Many states ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party have enacted or strengthened laws prohibiting the slaughter of cows.
According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the report shows that religious freedom and the rights of religious minorities are under attack around the world.
‘For example, we’ve seen an increase in attacks on people and places of worship in India, the world’s largest democracy and home to a wide range of faiths.’
Rashad Hussain, who leads the United States State Department’s efforts to monitor religious freedom around the world, claimed that some Indian officials were ‘ignorant of, or even supportive of, rising attacks on people and places of worship.’
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