The Hindu : U.S. report on Gujarat violence `muted'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 11, 2002

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International

U.S. report on Gujarat violence `muted'

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON OCT. 10. Criticism of some of the countries in the State Department's International Religious Freedom report of 2002 appears to have been `muted'; and in the case of India, it shows a "continuation of a trend of hesitancy to state conclusions,'' says the Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Felice Gaer.

Ms. Gaer — who was one of two members who disagreed with the Commission for placing India on the List of Countries of Particular Concern — told a Congressional panel this afternoon that the State Department ought to have gone beyond what "others'' had suggested that the State Government in Gujarat did not respond adequately to acts of violence against religious minorities.

"We would like to know what is the U.S. Government's view of this. The same report tells us that several U.S. officials went to Gujarat to examine the situation. But we are still waiting for a senior U.S. official to speak out publicly about those findings, rather than to refer generically to "the horrible violence''; we are also waiting for a senior official to travel to the region for further examination,'' Ms. Gaer said.

She said the Commission had, for the last two years, expressed concern about the "severe violence'' against religious minorities "in which there has been a pattern of failure to bring those responsible to account.''

While the "horrible violence'' had been taken note of by the U.S. officials,'' there had been no direct condemnation of the fact that the attacks were mainly against Muslims,'' the Chair of the USCIRF noted.

"The American Ambassador and other senior officials should speak out and encourage the Indian Government to take action to protect Muslims and hold the perpetrators accountable before the law,'' Ms. Gaer said.

The Chair of the USCIRF took the position that there was no evidence of the direct hand of the Central Government in New Delhi behind the Gujarat incidents even as there was "abundant evidence of complicity'' at the State level.

If India were to be designated as a CPC, the first step should be visible demarches which could then be followed by the travel of senior officials perhaps accompanied by law-makers, Ms. Gaer said.

The Commission was yet to receive a formal invitation from India, it was pointed out.

But the Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom at the State Department, John Hanford, was quite guarded in his remarks. He argued that apart from expressions of condolences, senior administration officials had been expressing concern at the developments, much of it taking place behind the scenes.

"As long as there is signal that the Government of India is taking it seriously, I'm comfortable with that,'' Mr. Hanford said in response to a question from the Republican Congressman, Joseph Pitts, as to why Washington could not be more "forceful'' in its response.

Pressed by the law-maker whether it would now be "too late'' for the administration to say something in public about what took place in Gujarat, Mr. Hanford said: "I will share your concern. We are fighting for the (religious) freedom of the Muslims all over the world.''

Mr. Hanford was again careful when the Chair of the House Sub-Committee on International Operations and Human Rights, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, asked which of the countries — or all — recommended by the Commission on International Religious Freedom as Countries of Particular Concern were going to be designated by the Secretary of State.

"The practice is to have a report, then use it to make a factual determination... The Ambassador at Large makes a recommendation after several weeks to the Secretary of State... It is going to be a tough call,'' Mr. Hanford replied.

The Republican Congressman, Christopher Smith, of New Jersey made the point that India should be designated as a Country of Particular Concern, irrespective of geo-political considerations.

The House Committee, aside from having Mr. Hanford and Ms. Gaer as main witnesses, also heard private individuals such as Udit Raj, National Chairman of the All-India Confederation of the Scheduled Caste and the Scheduled Tribe organisations.

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