India on Monday sharply reacted to the 2026 report of the US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which has alleged that "religious freedom conditions in India continued to deteriorate" in 2025.
Calling out the report's analysis as a "motivated and biased characterisation of India", the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) wrote in a statement that USCIRF had, for years, presented a "distorted and selective picture of India", based on "questionable sources and ideological narratives", not objective facts.
"Instead of persisting with selective criticism of India, USCIRF would do well to reflect on the disturbing incidents of vandalism and attacks on Hindu temples in the United States, selective targeting of India, and growing intolerance and intimidation of members of the Indian diaspora in the United States, which merit serious attention," the statement added.
According to the USCIRF report, Indian authorities had also allegedly facilitated "widespread detention and illegal expulsion of citizens and religious refugees" and had tolerated "vigilante attacks against religious minority communities".
In that regard, one of the USCIRF's recommendations to the US government was to impose targeted sanctions on individuals and entities—such as the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)—for what it termed their "responsibility and tolerance of severe violations of religious freedom".
It also advised that these individuals'/entities' assets be frozen, that their entry into the US be barred, and that progress on future US security assistance and bilateral trade policies with India be linked to improvements in religious freedom.
As per its website, the USCIRF is an independent US-based legislative branch agency created by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), as amended.
USCIRF monitors the universal right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) abroad; makes policy recommendations to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress; and tracks the implementation of these recommendations.