Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Govt “categorically” rejected as motivated and biased the characterisation of India in the latest US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) report that alleged deterioration of religious freedom in India and sought its designation as a country of particular concern. The report had also called for sanctions on Research & Analysis Wing and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh for their “responsibility and tolerance of severe violations of religious freedom by freezing those individuals’ or entities’ assets and/or barring their entry into US”. Govt said in its response that instead of persisting with selective criticism of India, USCIRF would do well to reflect on the incidents of vandalism and attacks on Hindu temples in US, selective targeting of India, and growing intolerance and intimidation of members of the Indian diaspora in US, which merit serious attention.
USCIRF presents distorted and selective picture of India: MEAFor several years now, USCIRF had persisted in presenting a distorted and selective picture of India, relying on questionable sources and ideological narratives rather than objective facts. Such repeated misrepresentations only undermine the credibility of the commission itself,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. The report said that in 2025, religious freedom conditions in India continued to deteriorate as govt introduced and enforced new legislation targeting religious minority communities and their houses of worship. USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan US federal govt agency. It makes policy recommendations to the US president, secretary of state, and Congress and tracks the implementation of these recommendations.
