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India finds itself in the same company as Afghanistan, Egypt, Russia, and Somalia among others. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) placed India on its “Watch List” today for what it called Indian government's largely inadequate response in protecting its religious minorities.

USCIRF said India earned the Watch List designation due to the disturbing increase in communal violence against religious minorities– specifically Christians in Orissa in 2008 and Muslims in Gujarat in 2002 – and the largely inadequate response from the Indian government to protect the rights of religious minorities.

“It is extremely disappointing that India, which has a multitude of religious communities, has done so little to protect and bring justice to its religious minorities under siege,” said Leo-nard Leo, USCIRF chair. “USCIRF's India chapter was released last month to mark the one-year anniversary of the start of the anti-Christian violence in Orissa.”

Any country that is designated on the USCIRF Watch List requires “close monitoring due to the nature and extent of violations of religious freedom engaged in or tolerated by the government.”
The other countries currently on USCIRF's Watch List are Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, Laos, the Russian Federation, Somalia, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Venezuela.

“India's democratic institutions charged with upholding the rule of law, most notably state and central judiciaries and police, have emerged as unwilling or unable to seek redress for victims of the violence. More must be done to ensure future violence does not occur and that perpetrators are held accountable,” said Mr. Leo.

Last year in Orissa, the murder of Swami Saraswati by Maoist rebels in Kandhamal sparked a prolonged and destructive campaign targeting Christians in Orissa, resulting in attacks against churches and individuals.

These attacks largely were carried out by individuals associated with Hindu nationalist groups, and resulted in at least 40 deaths and the destruction of hundreds of homes and dozens of churches. Tens of thousands were displaced and today many still remain in refugee camps, afraid to return home.

Similarly, during the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat, India's National Human Rights Commission found that the Indian government not only failed to prevent the attacks against religious minorities, but that state and local officials aided and participated in the violence.

In both Orissa and Gujarat, court convictions have been infrequent, perpetrators rarely brought to justice and thousands of people remain displaced.

This designation comes barely a week after Human Rights Watch issued a stinging report against Indian police system terming it as an “abusive” system where torture is common place and police officials engaged in fake encounters with no accountability.

The USCIRF India chapter released, notes that the deficiencies in investigating and prosecuting cases have resulted in a culture of impunity that gives members of vulnerable minority communities few assurances of their safety, particularly in areas with a history of communal violence, and little hope of perpetrator accountability.

The report recommends that the Obama Administration urge the government of India to take new measures to promote communal harmony, protect religious minorities, and prevent communal violence by calling on all political parties and religious or social organizations to publicly denounce violence against and harassment of religious minorities, women, and low-caste members, and to acknowledge that such violence constitutes a crime under Indian law.

USCIRF issues its annual report on religious freedom each May. This year's India chapter was delayed because USCIRF had requested to visit India this summer. The Indian government, however, declined to issue USCIRF visas for the trip.

USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives. USCIRF's principal responsibilities are to review the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally and to make policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and Congress.

Culture police of the rightist forces have become a law unto themselves in the Dakshin Kannada (DK) district of Karnataka. After a gap of six months, these outfits are back to enforcing a ban on burqa and headscarves in the rural colleges of the district. Except for some professional courses like nursing, medicine, law or management, colleges do not prescribe uniform for students. It is commonly known that in matters of dress, laissez faire prevails in campuses. But the district is witnessing this bizarre phenomenon of unauthorized gendarme affiliated to saffron forces imposing its own dress code on Muslim students.

DK district has always been a hotbed of saffron politics. But advent of BJP to power has given a massive boost to the rightist forces to put into action a plan to harass Muslims and Christians leading to communal polarization of masses.

For over 15 months, the outfits like Ram Sene, Bajrang Dal and ABVP have been targeting minority students. In the beginning the strategy was to intimidate and assault Muslim students found either travelling or speaking to Hindu students, more so if they belonged to opposite gender. Later Muslim girls wearing burqa and hijab were targeted. And now even those donning headscarves are being asked to remove them while entering the campuses.

In the latest episode, Ayesha Ashmin, a B.Com student in the S.V.S. College in Panamangalore, 25 kms north of Mangalore, was asked by Principal Seetharam Mayya to remove her headscarf before entering the College. Ashmin, daughter of B. Mohammad, told Islamic Voice over phone that the directive was verbally conveyed to her by the principal.

The trouble began after the students' union election in the college in which one Bharath, an activist of ABVP was elected as the president of the union. Bharath reportedly told Ayesha 'to remove her scarf or suffer consequences'. Ayesha and her father pleaded with Bharath, College committee members and the media to help her continue with her studies. Nothing worked and she had to forgo classes for nearly three weeks on Principal's directive. The Principal refused to provide her security. On August 18 the news burst on the national media and Ayesha approached the Deputy Collector Ponnuraj in Mangalore to help her continue her studies while wearing the scarf as the college prospectus did not prescribe any dress code. Meanwhile, even local Congress MLA Ramanath Rai approached Vice Chancellor of the Mangalore University Dr. Kaveriappa and advised him 'to resolve the issue'. Rai, former minister in the state, told this scribe that 'he favours right of free will in matters of dress to prevail in campuses as uniforms are not prescribed in colleges and universities'. However, as yet Ayesha's tragedy continues and the 19-year old girl is being denied permission to resume studies at the college. Apparently, the college administration is under pressure from the ABVP not to allow her back into the College with headscarf. Ayesha told the media that she would like to follow her religious beliefs and continue her studies as well without any let-up.

With highlighting of the unofficial ban on burqa and headscarf in the State media, several students organization staged a massive protest opposite the Deputy Commissioner's office in Mangalore on August 20. The protestors numbered over 2,000. Official response was however quick. Sensing that the rightist forces were up to mischief during Ramadan through such provocations, the Police, Deputy Commissioner and the Municipal administration enforced section 144 in the city and asked the shops to close down at 8 pm. It has become almost routine for the Hindutva bodies to lit the communal fuse before Ramadan and create situation where minorities could be targets of violence.
The Rightist forces had imposed a 'burqa ban' on students in Government College, Uppinagady, 50 kms north of Mangalore three months ago. Surprisingly, it was a Government college and the government was found wanting in restraining the communal bodies from implementing their scheme of things.

In Bangalore, Minister for Higher Education Arvind Limbavalli dismissed the 'burqa ban' as a minor issue and refused to be drawn into discussion. Chief Minister B.S. Yedyurappa has made it a rule for himself to maintain stoic silence on such issues that pertain to core ideology of the Sangh Parivar, though he is known to be a man who cherishes liberal values and disapproves of violence in the service of politics.

Appreciably, the Government has initiated action against Ram Sene which had been carrying on a virulent propaganda against the minorities in several districts of the State. Sene President Pramode Muthalik was arrested and remanded to judicial custody. On one occasion, Home Minister Dr. V. S. Acharya even agreed that Ram Sene activities were a headache even for the BJP government in the State. But what remains inexplicable is that why the State government withdrew certain cases against the Ram Sene activists last year.

While a majority of the ministers in the BJP ministry are against identifying too closely with the saffron philosophy, the party feels the need to keep its foot soldiers engaged in some activities closer to the core agenda. This keeps it from taking any action that would incur their wrath and cause erosion of support among rightist allies.

DK district has been home to the communal outfits for long. Their activities remained unchecked till the minorities did not develop any adequate response through administrative action or media. But during the last one decade, the minorities have begun to take to modern education in a big way as the only effective tool to sensitise the masses. Even a section of the media in the district has lent support to forces championing the cause of Dalits, minorities and liberal ethos. They perceive a threat to their nefarious motives in the twin trends. This was one reason why offices of the Canara Times and Kannada daily Karavali Alai were attacked and editor B.V. Seetharam was handcuffed. Unofficial burqa bans and anti-hijab drives are therefore attempts to restrain the minority students from taking to modern education. One wonders if they would be equally enthusiastic in opposing the wearing of turbans by Sikh students, if at all headscarf is found to be so very troublesome to their brand of secular ethos.