India calls US religious freedom panel 'entity of concern', rejects its report

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India does not expect that “USCIRF will engage with the reality of India's pluralistic framework”

Updated on: Mar 26, 2025, 19:37:01 IST

By HT News Desk

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India on Wednesday said that the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) should be designated as an entity of concern.

It said that the latest annual report continues its pattern of issuing “biased and politically motivated assessments.”

Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. (PTI File Photo)

“We have seen the recently released 2025 Annual Report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which once again continues its pattern of issuing biased and politically motivated assessments,” ANI quoted ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal as saying.

ALSO READ: US religious freedom panel recommends sanctions against India’s RAW over alleged assassination plots: Report

"The USCIRF's persistent attempts to misrepresent isolated incidents and cast aspersions on India's vibrant multicultural society reflect a deliberate agenda rather than a genuine concern for religious freedom," Jaiswal added.

“India is home to 1.4 billion people who are adherents to all religions known to mankind. However, we have no expectation that the USCIRF will engage with the reality of India's pluralistic framework or acknowledge the harmonious coexistence of its diverse communities,” Jaiswal added.

"Such efforts to undermine India's standing as a beacon of democracy and tolerance will not succeed. In fact, it is the USCIRF that should be designated as an entity of concern," he added.

ALSO READ: ‘Malicious, agenda driven’: India rejects 2024 USCIRF report on religious freedom

What did the US Religious Freedom report claim?

In its report, USCIRF urged the US government to designate India as a "country of particular concern" for "engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations", as defined by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).

The report alleged that the religious freedom conditions in India in 2024 continued to deteriorate as attacks and discrimination against religious minorities continued to rise.

"In 2024, religious freedom conditions in India continued to deteriorate as attacks and discrimination against religious minorities continued to rise," the US commission said in a report released on Tuesday.

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