New Delhi on Wednesday rebuked a report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which had chided India over alleged “worsening treatment of minorities in the country.” The report claimed that conditions for religious freedom in India have “kept getting worse, with increasing attacks and discrimination against minority religious group.”
The commission also recommended the US government designate India as a “country of particular concern” for religious freedom violations and “impose targeted sanctions” against a former Indian intelligence officer and India’s external intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
In a strong statement, Indian Foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that USCIRF is carrying on “its pattern of issuing biased and politically motivated assessments,” citing the US organization’s “persistent attempts” to misrepresent isolated incidents that “reflect a deliberate agenda rather than a genuine concern for religious freedom.”
USCIRF’s 2025 Annual Report assessed religious freedom violations and progress in 28 countries during the 2024 calendar year and defined recommendations for American policy makers.
The commission also recommended imposing targeted sanctions on RAW over alleged links to plots targeting Sikh separatists in North America. Last year, the US government charged a former Indian intelligence officer, Vikash Yadav, in connection with a thwarted plot to kill a separatist Sikh leader.Delete
India, which has previously designated Khalistan supporters or Sikh separatists as security threats, has denied any involvement in the alleged plot.
New Delhi, however, countered that efforts to undermine India’s standing as a beacon of democracy and tolerance will not succeed. “In fact, it is the USCIRF that should be designated as an entity of concern,” the foreign ministry said.
The agency criticized Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party the BJP for allegedly spreading hateful rhetoric and disinformation against Muslims and other religious minorities during the previous year’s election campaign. New Delhi, has labeled the criticism as “deeply biased”, as reported by Reuters.
The US report also alleged that New Delhi was indulging in repressive tactics beyond its borders to target Sikh minorities and their supporters abroad. Those who spoke out about India's religious freedom issues, including journalists, academics, and civil society groups, faced retaliation in the form of denial of consular services, revocation of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards, threats of violence, and surveillance, it claimed.
The Indian government has consistently expressed concerns to the governments of the UK, Canada, and US regarding the activities of Khalistan supporters in these countries. Pro-Khalistan separatists have organized protests, chanted anti-India slogans, and targeted Indian diplomatic missions and Hindu temples with violent attacks in these nations, which have significant Sikh populations.
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