US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in his policy speech, on Wednesday urged everyone to stand together in favour of "religious freedom."
Pompeo, who is on an official three-day visit to India, also said that the US was pleased to see the United Nations designate Jaish-e-Mohammad chief as a global terrorist, adding that his country welcomes India's assertive nature on the world stage.
Secretary Pompeo's remark on religious freedom comes days after an official US State Department report said that extremist and violent Hindu mobs were targetting people from the minority communities, particularly from among Muslims.
The International Religious Freedom Report, released by the US State Department, alleged that some senior officials of the ruling BJP made inflammatory speeches against the minority communities.
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"Mob attacks by violent extremist Hindu groups against minority communities, especially Muslims, continued throughout the year amid rumours that victims had traded or killed cows for beef," it said.
According to some NGOs, the authorities often protected perpetrators from prosecution, it said.
The report said that as of November, there were 18 such attacks, and eight people killed during the year.
Days later, India rejected the report, saying it sees no locus standi for a foreign government to pronounce on the state of its citizens' constitutionally protected rights.
(With inputs from agencies)
