New Delhi Dismisses US Panel Religious Freedom Report on India; Calls It A 'Malicious Propaganda'

Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, stated, "Our stance on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is clear. It is a biased organisation with a political agenda that misrepresents facts and promotes a distorted narrative about India."

New Delhi:India on Thursday dismissed a report by the US Federal Government Commission, which alleged violence against religious freedom in India, and called for it to be designated as a 'country of particular concern'. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released a report on India country update, which 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.

In response to the development, the Ministry of External Affairs, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "Our views on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) are well known. It is a biased organisation with a political agenda. It continues to misrepresent facts and peddles a motivated narrative about India. We reject this malicious report, which only serves to discredit USCIRF further."

"We would urge USCIRF to desist from such agenda-driven USCIRF would also be well advised to utilise its time more productively on addressing human rights issues in the United States", Jaiswal said. The report noted that these events constitute particularly severe violations of religious freedom. It describes the use of misinformation and disinformation, including hate speech, by government officials to incite violent attacks against religious minorities and their places of worship.

It further describes changes to and enforcement of India’s legal framework to target and disenfranchise religious minorities, including the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and several state-level anti-conversion and cow slaughter laws, the report said.

In its 2024 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the US. Department of State-designate country,” or CPC, or engaging in systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom.

India has time and again consistently criticised the USCIRF report, accusing the country of intentionally harbouring a biased stance on religious freedom in the country. It is pertinent to note that the government has previously slammed the reports for lacking in true understanding of India's social dynamics and said the panel continued to publish anti-India propaganda.