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- The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), in its 2019 report, has said that there is an overall deterioration of religious freedom conditions in 2018 in India. USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission which seeks to defend the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad.
- USCIRF has placed India in the Tier 2 country category Tier 2 countries are those in which violations engaged in or tolerated by the government during 2018 are serious and characterized by at least one of the elements of the Country of Particular Concern (CPC) standard. CPC status are given to countries which engage in or tolerate systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom.
- The report has identified several limitations to the right to freedom of religion or belief and challenges faced by religious minorities in India. It has identified a number of extremist groups who are responsible for an organised campaign of alienation against non-Hindus or low-caste Hindus.
- It has also stated that anti-conversion and anti-cow slaughter laws are predominately used to discriminate against religious minorities. It has also raised concerns over the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam.
- On a positive note, it has highlighted that that communal attacks dropped by 12 % in 2018 from their 2017 levels. Further, there has been a 12% increase in the budget of the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
- Fundamental right to freedom of religion is guaranteed under Articles 25, 26, 27 and 28 of Part III of the Indian Constitution.
- Article 18 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Also, Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights upholds the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
