India Slams US For Spreading 'Misguided' Reports on COVID-19 

India responded to US Commission on International Religious Freedom’s (UNSCIRF) recent comment for spreading "misguided" reports amid the coronavirus outbreak. India strongly expressed its disagreement with the criticism that India is “adding religious colours” while handling the Corona crisis.  

Earlier in the week, US commission expressed its concerns over India's handling of the situation based on media report that a government hospital in Ahemedabad, Gujurat has segregated patients based on their religions.

India clarified to the statement saying that it was a misguided report. “No segregation of patients is being done in the civil hospital on the basis of religion as clarified by the Gujarat government,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivatsava said in a statement. 

Srivatsava, further mentioned that apart from peremptory commentary on religious freedom in India, the UNSCIRF is now spreading misguided reports about medical protocols that are being followed to deal with spread of COVID 19 in India. 

Further slamming the UN body, Srivastava asserted that the USCIRF "must stop adding religious colour to our national goal of fighting the pandemic and distract from larger efforts." 

"Such actions only help to further increase ongoing stigmatization of Muslims in #India and exacerbate false rumors of Muslims spreading #COVID19," an earlier tweet from the commission read. 

This was not the first time, where USCIRF made such a statement, they had earlier criticized India on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).