Government rejects USCIRF report calling for sanctions on RAW, RSS

New Delhi: The government has “categorically” rejected the characterization of India in the latest report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which claimed that religious freedom has deteriorated in the country and sought designation as a country of special concern. The report also calls for sanctions against research and analysis wings and people’s groups for “taking responsibility for and tolerating serious violations of religious freedom by freezing the assets of these individuals or entities and/or banning their entry into the United States.” In its response, the Indian government stated that the US Commission on International Religious Freedom should not continue to selectively criticize India, but should reflect on incidents such as the destruction and attacks on Hindu temples in the United States, the selective targeting of India, and the growing intolerance and intimidation of the Indian diaspora in the United States, which deserve serious concern.

US Commission on International Religious Freedom’s characterization of India is distorted and selective: MEAFor years, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom has relied on dubious sources and ideological narratives rather than objective facts, insisting on a distorted and selective portrayal of India. Such repeated misrepresentations only damage the credibility of the committee itself,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. The report says that by 2025, religious freedom conditions in India will continue to deteriorate as the government introduces and enforces new legislation targeting religious minorities and their places of worship. USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan agency of the U.S. federal government. It makes policy recommendations to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress and tracks the implementation of those recommendations.