India denies U.S. claim of religious segregation of COVID-19 patients

India has strongly reacted to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom's (USCIRF) claim that COVID-19 patients were being segregated at a hospital in the country on religion lines.

In a written statement issued late Wednesday night, Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Anurag Srivastava said the U.S.' organisation must stop adding religious colour to India's national goal of fighting the pandemic and distract from larger efforts.

He was reacting to a USCIRF's tweet which claimed the practice of segregation of COVID-19 patients on religious lines at a hospital in west India's state of Gujarat.

Taking a strong note of USCIRF's tweet, Srivastava said, "As if its peremptory commentary on religious freedom in India is not enough, the USCIRF is now spreading misguided reports on the professional medical protocols followed to deal with spread of COVID-19 in India."

"It must stop adding religious colour to our national goal of fighting the pandemic and distract from larger efforts. No segregation is being done in civil hospitals on the basis of religion, as clarified by the Gujarat Government," he added.

(CGTN)