Religious Freedom in India

(September 17, 2011) A report from the United States government has said that though the Indian government generally respected religious freedom, some state governments were not effectively prosecuting those who attacked religious minorities. The report on the status of religious freedom in India said some state governments limited this freedom by enforcing existing “anticonversion” legislation and not quelling attacks on minorities with a heavy hand. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Tuesday released the State Department’s International Religious Freedom report for the second half of 2010 The report noted that while the present Indian Government continued to implement an inclusive and secular platform that included respect for the right to religious freedom, a few state and local governments continued to be influenced by Hindutva. The report, meanwhile, specifically makes references to lack of justice for the victims of Kandhamal violence In 2008 Catholics were hounded by Hindu mobs.