New Delhi: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation or OIC has strongly condemned the recent incidents of communal clashes that occurred in India over the Ram Navami processions when minority communities were reportedly attacked.
Apart from widespread violence which targeted Muslims, incidents of attack on Muslim mosque-goers and mosques were also reported.
However, India took objection to the OIC's statement condemning these communal incidents, stating that the OIC has a communal mindset.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi has criticized the OIC for consistently being manipulated by anti-India forces and has condemned its recent statement alleging that the Muslim community was targeted during Ram Navami celebrations in several Indian states.
The OIC's general secretariat expressed deep concern over the acts of violence and vandalism targeting the Muslim community, citing examples such as the torching of a madrasa by a mob in Bihar Sharif on March 31 and accused India of "Islamophobia".
Violence broke out in several states including Bengal, Bihar, Gujarat and Maharashtra during Ram Navami last week.
India has criticized OIC's "unwarranted references" to Jammu and Kashmir and accused it of letting Pakistan hijack and misuse its platform for carrying out malicious propaganda against India.
Seema Pujani, the First Secretary of India's Permanent Mission in Geneva, stated at the Human Rights Council on March 31 that the entire territories of the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have been, are, and will always be part of India and that Pakistan is in illegal occupation of Indian territory.
The foreign ministry spokesperson also claimed that the OIC has lost its credibility by taking a blatantly communal, partisan, and factually incorrect approach to issues.