US report equates UP with Iraq and Syria, says Akhilesh chose not to combat religious discrimination

New Delhi: In a major embarrassment to Akhilesh Yadav, a United States report has accused the Uttar Pradesh chief minister of ignoring to "combat discrimination on the basis of religious beliefs" as a result of which India's most populous state witnessed the highest number of deaths in communal riots in India last year. "The Uttar Pradesh government failed to protect vulnerable communities, and many religious minority communities were disproportionately affected, resulting in highest number of deaths and a large number of internally displaced persons," says International Religious Freedom Report for 2013 released by the US Department of State. Equating the northern Indian state with strife-torn countries like Iraq, Syria and Sri Lanka, among others, the report adds, "The Uttar Pradesh government tragically failed to address the issue of discrimination on the basis of religion. This failure breeds an environment in which intolerant and violent groups are emboldened, even to the point of physically attacking individuals on the basis of their religious beliefs." Talking about the Muzaffarnagar violence, the report says, "Even going by Uttar Pradesh’s history of susceptibility to communal violence, the horror that has unfolded in the Muzaffarnagar-Shamli region will rank as extraordinary with deaths and displacement on a scale unmatched in recent times. "The communal violence spread after a Muslim youth was killed by two Hindu youths who accused the boy of sexually harassing a female family member. The local police and the Army reportedly allowed unlawful gatherings by individuals carrying arms on September 7 and local administrators allegedly did not respond to counter public calls by politicians and community leaders for violence." The report goes on to add that "the Akhilesh Yadav government has been tragically remiss in addressing the situation. Indeed, the official abdication has led to the vacuum being filled by Muslim religious groups resulting in communal tensions being kept alive. In late-October, the State government ordered payment of relief at Rs. 5 lakh each to about 900 affected families on condition that they sign away their rights to their property in the villages. This is nothing but official sanctification of the communal divide that has been the most worrisome outcome of the violence. Ground reports suggest that Muslim families are investing the money in building ghettos for themselves in rural areas, which have thus far been symbols of harmony." In its rebuttal, the state government said “media reports” about the number of communal violence are exaggerated. The government said on Wednesday that UP witnessed only one major riot each in 2013 and 2014, while the total number of incidents of communal flare-up stood at seven and six in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Interestingly, the government’s claim contradicts the state data which says 19 incidents of communal clashes were reported in UP in 2013.