India's Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, on Saturday sharply rejected remarks by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) about jailed activist Sharjeel Imam, saying the commission had "no locus standi" to pass judgment on the constitutional rights of Indian citizens. In a strongly worded post on X, Kwatra accused the panel of making partisan and ill-informed observations that could not diminish India's commitment to religious freedom and equal rights for all faiths.
The dispute followed a USCIRF post on X that shared Imam's profile and described him as "a Muslim man detained in India for his religious freedom advocacy." Kwatra responded that the commission should "introspect on your own prejudices and stop lecturing others," adding that India flourishes despite what he called agenda-driven narratives.S2
Imam, a former student activist, was arrested in January 2020 in connection with protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, which took place in December 2019 and January 2020. Authorities accused him of delivering speeches that allegedly incited communal violence. In August 2020 he was charged in FIR 59/2020, relating to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the February 2020 North-East Delhi riots, under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, including charges of rioting, murder, promoting enmity and alleged terrorist acts. The case is being investigated by the Delhi Police Special Cell.S2
Separately, on October 10 a Delhi court declined to entertain a Delhi Police plea seeking cancellation of Imam's seven-day interim bail, even though the judge, Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai of the Karkardooma Courts, observed that he had apparently violated a condition restricting his interaction with the media. Video footage submitted by the prosecution allegedly showed Imam in a room where a media person was interviewing his brother. His counsel denied any direct interaction between Imam and the journalist, arguing the footage did not establish one.S2
