ISLAMABAD
\nA senior US diplomat will travel to India in the coming days and engage with its civil society over free speech and marginalisation of minorities, after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s recent US visit when he denied that abuse of religious minorities existed in his country.
\nUzra Zeya, US undersecretary of state for democracy and human rights, will also meet with Indian government officials to discuss \u201cglobal challenges, democracy, regional stability, and cooperation on humanitarian relief,\u201d the State Department said in a statement on Friday.
\nZeya\u2019s upcoming trip follows a June visit by Modi to the United States, where President Joe Biden rolled the red carpet for him even as activists decried what they saw as a deterioration of human rights in India under Modi\u2019s watch.
\nBiden and Modi touted deals on defence and commerce aimed at countering China\u2019s global influence.
\nBiden said he discussed human rights with Modi but he did not publicly criticise Modi, his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or India\u2019s government on the topic.
\nZeya will also visit Bangladesh on her trip from July 8 to July 14.
\n\u201cIn both countries, Under Secretary Zeya will engage with civil society organisations on freedom of expression and association, and inclusion of women and girls, persons with disabilities, and vulnerable groups, including marginalised religious and ethnic minorities,\u201d the State Department said.
\nDuring his US visit, Modi denied that abuse of religious minorities existed in India, a claim that activists called a lie and said was contradicted by documentation from human rights advocates.
\nThe State Department has raised occasional concern over human rights in India but criticism of India by the US is not vocal due to close economic ties between the countries and New Delhi\u2019s importance for Washington to counter China, political analysts say.
\nIn reports released this year on human rights and religious freedom, the State Department raised concerns over the treatment of Muslims, Hindu Dalits, Christians and other religious minorities in India while also noting a crackdown on journalists and dissidents.
\nIndia has slid in the World Press Freedom Index to 161st this year, its lowest point. India also leads the list for the highest number of government-imposed internet shutdowns globally.
\nThe UN human rights office described a 2019 citizenship law as \u201cfundamentally discriminatory\u201d for excluding Muslim migrants. Critics have also pointed to anti-conversion legislation that challenged the constitutionally protected right to freedom of belief and the revoking of Muslim-majority Kashmir\u2019s special status in 2019 as well.
\nThere has also been the demolition of properties owned by Muslims in the name of removing illegal construction and a ban on wearing the hijab in classrooms in Karnataka when the BJP was in power in that state.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD A senior US diplomat will travel to India in the coming days and engage with its civil society over free speech and marginalisation of minorities, after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s recent US visit when he denied that abuse of religious minorities existed in his country. Uzra Zeya, US undersecretary of state for democracy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":342120,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-342105","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n