India slams OIC, US body statements over Delhi violence

NEW DELHI: The statements made by Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) over the violence in Delhi have been strongly slammed by the government saying that the comments are factually inaccurate and misleading.

Reacting to the statements, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar asked bodies like the OIC not to make irresponsible statements at this sensitive time.

“The statements which have come out of OIC are factually inaccurate, they are selective and misleading. There is an effort on the ground, to restore normalcy, to create confidence,” Kumar said, adding that we urge these bodies not to indulge in irresponsible statements at this sensitive time.

Describing the comments by the US commission on religious freedom as “factually inaccurate, misleading” and an attempt to politicise the issue, te MEA spokesperson said that law enforcement agencies are working on the ground to prevent violence and ensure restoration of confidence and normalcy.

“Senior representatives of the government have been involved in that process. The Prime Minister has publicly appealed for peace and brotherhood. We would urge that irresponsible comments are not made at this sensitive time,” Kumar said.

Notably, US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and a number of other leading American lawmakers have also expressed concern over the clashes in several parts of Delhi in which at least 37 people have been killed.

On Wednesday, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom had said, “The ongoing violence we are witnessing in Delhi and the reported attacks against Muslims, their homes and shops, and their houses of worship are greatly disturbing.”

The OIC has also condemned the violence in Delhi and alleged discrimination against Muslims. The communal violence over the amended citizenship law in northeast Delhi has claimed at least 37 lives and left over 300 people injured.