India accuses US of politicizing New Delhi riots that left 30 dead

Indian officials criticized the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) after it condemned violence in New Delhi that killed at least 30 people and accused police of allowing assaults on Muslims.

India’s External Affairs Ministry called the comments “factually inaccurate and misleading” and said they seemed “aimed at politicizing the issue,” The Associated Press reported.

“These incidents are even more concerning in the context of efforts within India to target and potentially disenfranchise Muslims across the country, in clear violation of international human rights standards,” USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava said Wednesday following the riots.

“One of the essential duties of any responsible government is to provide protection & physical security for its citizens, regardless of faith,” added Chairman Tony Perkins. “We urge the Indian government to take serious efforts to protect Muslims & others targeted by mob violence.”

Police have denied abetting violence against Muslims or condoning it, but videos taken by bystanders show police apparently not intervening during attacks and ordering Muslims to sing the Hindu national anthem, according to the AP.

The wave of violence swept through India’s capital this week during a visit by President Trump, who met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A recent citizenship law passed by Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party favors non-Muslim migrants from neighboring states, a law the country’s Muslim minority has called part of a broader pattern of discrimination.

Modi called for calm on Twitter amid the unrest, while Trump said the response to the violence was “up to India.”