A number of Indian American groups have also protested against Modi’s visit to the US Capital. A group of Sikhs from across the nation also staged a protest against Modi in front of the White House, even as the Indian Premier was meeting with the US President.
Prime Minister of India, however, this Prayer Vigil is organized to pray for the people of India who are being harassed, intimidated and attacked by Modi’s followers. “Modi continues to be silent about the violence against Christians. Modi has failed in his constitutional obligation to protect the lives and property of all citizens, including the Christians,” the statement stated.
Just as Modi and Obama were concluding their discussions, the U.S. Congress Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission began a hearing on “the current state of human rights in India, challenges to fundamental freedoms, and opportunities for advancement” on Tuesday.
“…In spite of…constitutional protections, religious minority communities, including Sikhs, have experienced harassment and violence, often at the hands of Hindu nationalist groups, while impunity for the perpetrators of the violence persists. State-level “anti-conversion” laws allow government officials to decide whether conversions from Hinduism are legal – but choosing a religion is a private act that should not be subject to government regulation,” James P. McGovern, co-chairman of the Commission said.
In a related development, a group of 18 bi-partisan members of the U.S. House of Representatives wrote to Speaker Paul Ryan, ahead of Modi’s address to the joint session of the Congress on Wednesday urging him to prioritize religious freedom in India during his meeting with Mr. Modi, “especially in light of ongoing violence and harassment against religious minorities, including Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, and Sikhs”.
A U.S. official who briefed the media said these issues came up while the leaders discussed the rise of extremism. “While enhancing security measures, democratic freedoms must be protected. Issues related to the role CSOs, violence against minority communities were discussed in the context of the rise of extremism, and how this can be tackled in a democratic society,” the official said. The official said democracies have a particular challenge in dealing with extremism, as it has to deal with the problem without negating freedoms.