US govt commission flags ‘worsening’ religious freedom, India says ‘malicious’, ‘biased’

“We would urge USCIRF to desist from such agenda-driven efforts. The USCIRF would also be well advised to utilise its time more productively on addressing human rights issues in the US,” the spokesperson said.

Authored by senior policy analyst Sema Hasan, the section on India in the USCIRF report alleges the use of misinformation and disinformation — including hate speech by government officials — to incite violent attacks against religious minorities and their places of worship.

In its annual report, the USCIRF also recommended that the US Department of State designate India as a “Country of Particular Concern” for allegedly engaging in systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom.

The US State Department has so far refrained from accepting the recommendations.

“This report highlights how, throughout 2024, individuals have been killed, beaten, and lynched by vigilante groups, religious leaders have been arbitrarily arrested, and homes and places of worship have been demolished. These events constitute particularly severe violations of religious freedom,” the USCIRF said in a statement.

Beginning with the previous Manmohan Singh-led government, India has consistently denied visas to USCIRF members, citing “interference” in internal affairs, the statement said.

India and several Indian-American groups have in the past accused the USCIRF of “biased” reporting to “malign” the country.

“It (the report) further describes changes to and enforcement of India’s legal framework to target and disenfranchise religious minorities, including the Citizenship Amendment Act, a uniform civil code, and several state-level anti-conversion and cow slaughter laws,” the USCIRF said.