ASIA/INDIA - Appeal to Prime Minister Modi: "Protect religious minorities"

London (Agenzia Fides) - An appeal to the government of Narendra Modi to protect the rights of minorities in India was launched by the NGO Minority Rights Group International (MRG), on the first day of the visit of the Indian leader in London.
In a note sent to Fides, the NGO said that "religious tensions have reached a turning point in India, where four Muslims were killed recently on charges of consumption or trade of beef, considered a crime in many states in the country, with a Hindu majority. Christians, Sikhs and Dalits have become increasingly the target of intolerance since Modi has taken office".
"The recent trail of murders against Muslims in India raises serious concerns on the commitment of the government to protect its minorities", explains MRG, noting "an increase in nationalist rhetoric and religious intolerance, while the government has turned a blind eye. There are worrying signs that the government of Modi is exploiting religious tensions for political gain".
Indeed, "some members of the ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, have tried to minimize the seriousness of the murders". Activists for the rights of minorities speak of "religious unrest in the country". According to MRG "India has seen a 24% increase in communal violence since Modi has taken office". The NGO calls on the government of Great Britain and the European Union to point out the subject of the state of human rights and protection of minorities in India to the Prime Minister of India. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 12/11/2015)

Share:

religious minorities

---

---

religious freedom

---

---

democracy

---

---

human rights

---

---