India has rejected the latest report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), calling it a “biased and politically motivated” attempt to undermine the country’s global standing. The 2025 annual report, released on March 25, not only repeated past allegations of religious freedom violations in India but also made an unprecedented call for targeted sanctions against the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)—India’s premier external intelligence agency.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) dismissed the report, asserting that USCIRF’s persistent misrepresentations were part of a deliberate agenda rather than a genuine concern for religious freedom.
In a strongly worded response, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal criticised the USCIRF’s repeated attempts to paint a distorted picture of India’s multicultural society, stating:
“India is home to 1.4 billion people who follow diverse religious traditions, coexisting in a pluralistic framework. However, we have no expectation that the USCIRF will acknowledge this reality. Instead, it continues to issue reports based on selective and misleading narratives.”
He further dismissed USCIRF’s recommendation that India be designated a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC), stating that such attempts to malign India’s reputation as a “beacon of democracy and tolerance” would fail.
“In fact, it is the USCIRF that should be designated as an entity of concern,” Jaiswal remarked, flipping the panel’s own language back at it.
India has consistently rejected USCIRF’s annual reports in recent years, accusing the US body of engaging in one-sided assessments influenced by politically motivated lobbies.
For the first time, USCIRF has recommended sanctions against India’s external intelligence agency, RAW, along with a former Indian paramilitary officer, Vikash Yadav. The commission called for freezing their assets and barring their entry into the US over their alleged involvement in violations of religious freedom.
USCIRF’s highly controversial recommendation comes in the wake of US authorities charging Yadav, a former Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officer deputed to RAW, for his alleged role in a foiled plot to assassinate pro-Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil in 2023.
While the Indian government has firmly denied any role in such activities, the USCIRF’s call for direct action against India’s intelligence establishment is seen as an unprecedented escalation in anti-India rhetoric.
Notably, even past USCIRF reports—while critical of India—never called for punitive action against Indian security institutions. The latest move, therefore, has raised concerns about the increasing politicisation of USCIRF’s findings.
Beyond the RAW sanctions, USCIRF also took aim at India’s counterterrorism and financial laws, alleging that the country was misusing the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) to suppress religious minorities and civil society organisations.
The Indian government has repeatedly defended these laws, asserting that they are essential tools to combat terrorism, separatism, and foreign interference. The UAPA, in particular, has played a key role in preventing terror financing and dismantling extremist networks across the country.
USCIRF further recommended that the US review arms sales to India, including the $4 billion deal for 31 Predator drones signed last year. It suggested an assessment of whether these sales could contribute to religious freedom violations—an argument dismissed by security analysts as unfounded and misleading.
Strategic experts argue that the Biden administration is unlikely to act on this recommendation, given India’s critical role in countering China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
In a clear reference to pro-Khalistani groups operating in the US, the report called for the reintroduction of the “Transnational Repression Reporting Act” to track alleged Indian government actions against Sikh separatists abroad.
This recommendation comes amid heightened tensions between New Delhi and Washington over Khalistani extremism. While India has repeatedly urged the US and Canada to crack down on pro-Khalistani elements, certain Western lobbies continue to portray separatists as victims of Indian state oppression.
In reality, Khalistani groups—including Gurpatwant Singh Pannun’s Sikhs for Justice (SFJ)—have been banned in India due to their direct links to violent extremism and foreign-backed destabilisation efforts.
By echoing separatist talking points, the USCIRF risks undermining counterterrorism cooperation between India and the US.
India’s rejection of the USCIRF report is in line with its past responses to similar allegations. However, this time, the direct attack on RAW has elevated the issue to a new level.
Diplomatic experts believe that Washington is unlikely to impose any sanctions on Indian intelligence agencies, as doing so would severely damage the India-US strategic partnership—especially at a time when both nations are collaborating on defense, trade, and regional security.
Moreover, the USCIRF’s credibility has come under question in recent years, with critics arguing that it is driven by ideological biases rather than objective assessments of global religious freedom.
A senior Indian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, remarked:
“USCIRF’s recommendations have no binding authority. They are largely ignored by successive US administrations because they are divorced from geopolitical realities.”
Indeed, past USCIRF attempts to pressure the US government into sanctioning India have been largely unsuccessful, with both Democratic and Republican administrations recognising India as a key strategic ally.
Despite the USCIRF’s repeated attacks, India has maintained a strong stance against foreign interference in its internal affairs. While the report’s recommendations are unlikely to impact India’s global standing, the escalation in rhetoric—especially the call for sanctions on RAW—marks a dangerous precedent.
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