In a strong rebuttal, India on Wednesday trashed a report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and termed the agency as an “entity of concern”.
The Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that the report biased and politically motivated.
“The USCIRF's persistent attempts to cast aspersions on the country's vibrant multicultural society reflect a deliberate agenda rather than a genuine concern for religious freedom,” the MEA said.
In its 2025 annual report, the USCIRF alleged that the attacks on minority communities was still on the rise in India and that the condition of religious freedom in the country continued to deteriorate.
The panel called for imposing sanctions on individuals and entities—such as Vikash Yadav and RAW—by freezing their assets and/or barring their entry into the United States.
Yadav is a former Indian government official who has been charged in the alleged plot to kill Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the US.
The USCIRF also recommended designating India as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for engaging in “systematic religious freedom violations” as defined under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).
The MEA, however, hit back, saying it was the USCIRF that should be designated as an “entity of concern”.
"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," the statement said.
It added that 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”.