Washington: While the nation’s ruling party leaders remain mum against the police crackdown on Jamia Millia students, the US has called upon authorities in India asking the leaders to “protect and respect” the right of people who are peacefully protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA.
“We urge authorities to protect and respect the right of peaceful assembly,” said a State Department spokesperson today.
The US statement comes as a backing to the ongoing protests where the rights of Indian Muslim citizens are on the peril with the amended Citizenship Act that stands as a threat to this community.
“We also urge protesters to refrain from violence,” the spokesperson added.
The statement in support of protesters against the ongoing unrest in India was significant as India is scheduled to meet US defence ministers on Wednesday in Washington DC.
The ongoing protests over CAA and Jammu and Kashmir are likely to be discussed in the meeting.
The sources familiar with the topics to be addressed said the US considers them as a part of the ongoing discussions with India on human rights issues.
On the other hand, Trump administration’s attempts to bar Muslim visitors from entering the United States.
According to reports, Islamophobia, hate crimes against ethnic, religious and racial minorities have spiked under Trump’s administration — by 200%.
According to sources the US has been ‘closely’ watching the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the state department spokesperson said in the statement on Monday.
Earlier, Sam Brownback, the state department’s ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, last week tweeted the US was “concerned” about the new law and urged India to “abide by its constitutional commitments, including on religious freedom”.