Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support religious tolerance of Christians in India.

Our High Commissioner to India, Sir James Bevan recently met India’s Minister of Minority Affairs, Dr Najma Heptulla, on 16 June to discuss a range of minority issues, including the protection of religious freedoms. Our High Commission in New Delhi also discusses minority issues, including religious tolerance of Christians, with the Indian National Commission for Minorities and with other relevant State level authorities. Minority rights were also discussed at the EU-India human rights dialogue on 27 November 2013. We will continue to maintain a dialogue with the new Indian government about minority rights issues.