India rejects US panel’s ‘biased’ religious freedom report

India on Monday strongly rejected the latest report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), calling it “motivated and biased”, after the US panel recommended sanctions against Indian entities and again sought to designate the country as a “country of particular concern”.

Responding to media queries on the USCIRF’s 2026 annual report, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said the commission had repeatedly presented a “distorted and selective picture” of India.

“We have taken note of the latest report of the USCIRF. We categorically reject its motivated and biased characterisation of India,” Jaiswal said.

He said the commission had for years relied on “questionable sources and ideological narratives rather than objective facts”, adding that such repeated misrepresentations only undermined its credibility.

The sharp response came after the USCIRF recommended that the US government impose targeted sanctions on organisations including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) -- the ideological parent of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party -- and India’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), alleging their involvement in violations of religious freedom.

In its annual report, the commission urged the US administration to designate India as a “country of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act, a classification reserved for governments accused of engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom.

The panel also recommended linking US security assistance and bilateral trade with India to improvements in religious freedom and called for halting arms sales under provisions of the Arms Export Control Act.

Additionally, the USCIRF urged Washington to impose targeted sanctions on individuals and entities allegedly responsible for religious freedom violations, including asset freezes and travel bans.

New Delhi dismissed the recommendations as part of a pattern of selective criticism. “Instead of persisting with selective criticism of India, USCIRF would do well to reflect on the disturbing incidents of vandalism and attacks on Hindu temples in the United States,” Jaiswal said.

He also pointed to what he described as “growing intolerance and intimidation” faced by members of the Indian diaspora in the US, saying these developments deserved serious attention.

The USCIRF, an advisory body to the US government and Congress, has repeatedly criticised India’s religious freedom record in recent years, a position New Delhi has consistently rejected as interference in its internal affairs.

Officials in New Delhi maintain that India’s constitutional framework guarantees freedom of religion and that external bodies attempting to comment on domestic issues often rely on selective or inaccurate information.

Meanwhile, the Congress party seized upon the report to attack the ruling establishment. Party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate, in a post on X, alleged that the RSS' activities were bringing “global shame” to India.