The Centre on Monday strongly rejected a recommendation by a United States federal commission to designate India as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) over alleged religious freedom violations, terming the report biased and misleading.
Responding to the findings of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India “categorically rejects” what he described as a motivated and distorted assessment of the country.
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“We have taken note of the latest report of the USCIRF. We categorically reject its motivated and biased characterisation of India. For several years now, the commission has presented a distorted and selective picture, relying on questionable sources and ideological narratives rather than objective facts,” Jaiswal said.
The commission, in its 2026 Annual Report assessing developments in 2025, urged the United States government to designate India as a CPC, alleging that the country has engaged in and tolerated “systematic, ongoing, and egregious” violations of religious freedom. It also called for targeted sanctions against India’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Rejecting these recommendations, Jaiswal said such repeated misrepresentations undermine the credibility of the commission itself. He also urged the USCIRF to instead address issues within the United States, including incidents of vandalism and attacks on Hindu temples, as well as concerns over intolerance and intimidation faced by members of the Indian diaspora.
“Instead of persisting with selective criticism of India, the commission would do well to reflect on disturbing incidents in the United States that merit serious attention,” he added.
India has consistently dismissed past USCIRF reports, maintaining that they fail to accurately reflect the country’s diverse and pluralistic society.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)
