441-02645 (Foreign affairs)

We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following:

Whereas:

• The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) reported that policymakers and supporters of radical Hindu supremacist ideology have instituted and enforced sectarian policies seeking to establish India as an overtly Hindu state, which is contrary to India's secular and pluralistic foundation and poses grave danger to religious minorities;
• According to Genocide Watch, which documented "signs and processes" of genocide in India supported by credible reports indicating Muslims are subject to planned and targeted abuses, mob lynchings, sexual violence and killings, and attacks on homes, properties and Mosques, Indian Muslims are at risk of genocide;
• Christians face targeted extremist attacks in India, with the United Christian Forum reporting 486 incidents in 2021 and over 300 attacks as of July 2022, including widespread Church vandalism, assaults of Church workers, and Christian congregations threatened and humiliated;
• USCIRF reported hate crimes, social boycotts and assaults of Dalit and Sikh groups have escalated dramatically since 2014; and
• The United Nation's Universal Periodic Review of India revealed serious human rights regression under the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including crackdown on democratic institutions, use of draconian laws to prosecute and harass activists, journalists, students, government critics and protesters.

Therefore, we, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to:

1. Initiate parliamentary studies in the Foreign Affairs and International Development Committee (FAAE) and its Subcommittee on International Human Rights (SDIR) regarding human rights violations against Indian religious minorities and complicity of the Indian government;

2. Impose targeted sanctions against Indian government leaders accused of hate speech and found to have incited crimes against humanity facing Indian religious minorities; and

3. Promote mutually beneficial human rights dialogue between Canada and India.