In a welcome step, A US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) delegation has been denied visa to visit India. The Christian influenced American panel was to travel India on June 12 to check the state of religious freedom in Gujarat and Orissa. Christian Missionaries were especially eager to receive USCIRF.

An associate at the commission told the Times of India, “They knew we had tickets for June 12 and the visas are yet to be given, so the inference is obvious…they don’t want us to visit”.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom was never allowed to visit India before. Governments led by P V Narasimha Rao, H D Deve Gowda, Inder Kumar Gujral and Atal Bihari Vajpayee never allowed such institutions to sit in judgment on India regarding human rights. Earlier this year, the BJP had opposed granting permission to USCIRF to visit India.

Objections were also raised by various government officers to the “vitiated” method of reporting by the US-based body.

Early this year, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was singled out in the Christian influenced USCIRF report on religious freedom as the only person denied renewal of visa to enter to America under a special law.

According to the TOI report, Obama administration too did not press for the visit as US Undersecretary of State William Burns was in New Delhi, preparing ground for the visit to India by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in July.