India slams USCIRF report as 'biased', rejects allegations on religious freedom

India on Monday (March 16) rejected the annual report issued by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which called on the US administration to link security assistance and bilateral trade with India to improvements in the country’s religious freedom record. The USCIRF report, released earlier this month, criticised India over alleged violations of religious freedom and recommended “targeted sanctions” against individuals and entities such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), holding them responsible for the situation.

The Indian government has consistently dismissed USCIRF’s annual assessments. Monday’s response from the Ministry of External Affairs echoed similar reactions issued in previous years. Responding to the latest report, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the USCIRF has repeatedly portrayed a “distorted and selective” picture of India based on “questionable sources and ideological narratives”.

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“We have taken note of the latest report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). We categorically reject its motivated and biased characterisation of India,” he said. “For several years now, USCIRF has persisted in presenting a distorted and selective picture of India, relying on questionable sources and ideological narratives rather than objective facts.” Jaiswal also said the commission should examine issues within the United States instead of continuing what he described as selective criticism of India.

He added that the USCIRF should reflect on “disturbing incidents of vandalism and attacks on Hindu temples in the US, selective targeting of India, and growing intolerance and intimidation of members of the Indian diaspora in the US, which merit serious attention”. The USCIRF report recommended that future US security cooperation and trade ties with India be linked to measurable improvements in religious freedom. It reiterated its call for India to be designated as a “country of particular concern” and cited cases that it said indicated a worsening environment for religious freedom.

Rejecting these claims, Jaiswal said such “repeated misrepresentations” only undermine the credibility of the USCIRF.

The report also alleged that religious freedom in India continued to deteriorate in 2025, claiming authorities enforced laws that targeted religious minorities and their places of worship.

“Several states undertook efforts to introduce or strengthen anti-conversion laws to include harsher prison sentences. Indian authorities also facilitated widespread detention and illegal expulsion of citizens and religious refugees and tolerated vigilante attacks against religious minority communities,” the report said.