It accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of spreading hateful rhetoric and misinformation against Muslims and other minority communities during the previous year's election campaign.
A U.S. panel on religious freedom reported on Tuesday that the situation for religious minorities in India is worsening and suggested sanctions against India’s external intelligence agency over its alleged role in assassination plots targeting Sikh separatists.
In its annual report, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) also highlighted Vietnam's increased efforts to regulate and control religious activities, recommending that the communist-led country be designated a "country of particular concern."
The report stated that religious freedom in India continued to decline in 2024, with increasing attacks and discrimination against minorities. It accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of spreading hateful rhetoric and misinformation against Muslims and other minority communities during the previous year's election campaign.
India rejected the report on Wednesday, calling it biased and politically motivated. Foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal dismissed the findings, arguing that they misrepresent isolated incidents and aim to tarnish India's diverse and multicultural society.
Despite Washington's efforts to strengthen ties with both India and Vietnam due to shared concerns over China's influence in Asia, analysts suggest that human rights issues have been largely overlooked.
Allegations of India targeting Sikh separatists in the U.S. and Canada have strained U.S.-India relations since 2023. The U.S. has charged former Indian intelligence officer Vikash Yadav in connection with a failed assassination plot. India, which considers Sikh separatists a security threat, denies any involvement.
During an April 2024 campaign speech, Modi referred to Muslims as "infiltrators" with "more children." Previous U.S. State Department reports have documented abuses against religious minorities in India, though New Delhi has dismissed them as "deeply biased." Modi, who has led the country since 2014, denies any discrimination and argues that his government’s policies, such as electrification and subsidy programs, benefit all communities.
Human rights groups have pointed to increasing hate speech, a controversial citizenship law criticized by the U.N. as "fundamentally discriminatory," anti-conversion legislation that restricts religious freedom, the revocation of Kashmir’s special status, and the demolition of Muslim-owned properties as evidence of worsening conditions.
The commission urged the U.S. government to designate India as a "country of particular concern" for religious freedom violations and to impose targeted sanctions on Yadav and India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
As an advisory body, the USCIRF makes policy recommendations, but its suggestions are not binding. Consequently, it is unlikely that the U.S. government will impose sanctions on RAW.
Source: Reuters
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