02/16/2019 India (International Christian Concern) – According Asia News, the current BJP-led government of India has cancelled the licenses of 15,000 foreign NGOs in just the past five years. Many are concerned that this continued attack on NGOs in India will lead to marginalized populations not receiving necessary aid and human rights standards not being respected.
Speaking to Asia News, John Dayal, General Secretary of the All India Christian Council, said, “Every Indian government, but especially the current one led by the Hindu nationalist BJP, has been hostile to international organizations and media scrutiny.” According to Dayal, this stems from the fact that NGOs investigate human rights and other development issues.
Recently, Greenpeace India was forced to close two regional offices and had their bank accounts frozen after urging the government to address India’s deteriorating air quality issue.
Christians NGOs and NGOs promoting religious freedom have come under particular scrutiny. According to Dayal, “India does not usually grant a visa to United Nations special envoys to investigate human rights. It is very hostile to them. This is especially true when Western governments raise questions about the treatment of Christians, Muslims and Dalits.”
In 2017, India forced out Compassion International because of false claims they were engaged in promoting religious conversions. Prior to being forced out of India, Compassion International gave $45 million in aid a year to 280,000 children in India. It was India’s largest donor in its 48 years of operation.
