US commission seeks sanctions on Indian agencies over 'violation' of religious freedom
Washington (PTI): A federal US commission has urged the Biden administration to impose targeted sanctions on Indian government agencies and officials responsible for "severe violations" of religious freedom in the country by freezing their assets.
The US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) also recommended to Congress to raise the issue of religious freedom during US-India bilateral meetings and hold hearings on it.
In its annual report on religious freedom, the USCIRF asked the US State Department to designate India as a "country of particular concern" on the status of religious freedom along with several other nations.
The USCIRF has been making similar recommendations to the State Department since 2020, which have not been accepted.
The recommendations of USCIRF are not mandatory for the State Department.
India has previously slammed the USCIRF for "misrepresenting" facts. India has also described it as an "organisation of particular concern."
In July, in a strong reaction, the Ministry of External Affairs said that "These comments reflect a severe lack of understanding of India and its constitutional framework, its plurality and its democratic ethos."
"We have seen the biased and inaccurate comments on India by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)," it said.
"Regrettably, USCIRF continues to misrepresent facts time and again in its statements and reports in pursuance of its motivated agenda. Such actions only serve to strengthen concerns about the credibility and objectivity of the organisation."
In its India section of the latest report, the USCIRF alleged that in 2022, religious freedom conditions in India continued to worsen.
Throughout the year, the Indian government at the national, state, and local levels promoted and enforced religiously discriminatory policies, including laws targeting religious conversion, interfaith relationships, the wearing of hijabs, and cow slaughter, which negatively impact Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, and Adivasis.
"The national government also continued to suppress critical voices -- particularly religious minorities and those advocating on their behalf -- including through surveillance, harassment, demolition of property, and detention under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and by targeting nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA)," the USCIRF alleged.
Responding to questions, State Department's Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters that USCIRF is not a branch of the State Department, or the Executive Branch and its report reflects the importance of religious freedom to the American people.
"While the report's recommendations for designations overlap to some extent with the State Department's lists of countries of particular concern, it is not entirely conclusive. Governments or other entities with questions or comments about this report should reach out to the Commission directly," Patel said on Monday.
US-based non-profit organisation, Foundation of Indian and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) slammed the USCIRF for its "biased" report.
"While the USCIRF is predictably attempting to revive its annual case against India for inclusion in the CPC, it does so with a weaker set of data points that are predictably filled with both omission and commission," Khanderao Kand of FIIDS said in a statement.
"It conveniently lists delays in court cases but conveniently omits the fact that the Assam High Court actually ordered the implementation of the NRC, not the government," Kand said.
Furthermore, the report fails to acknowledge the cultural and economic significance of cows to Indian villagers, not to mention the constitutional ban on cow slaughter.
It conveniently ignores the fact that the bulldozed houses were illegal and notified, and the list of omissions goes on. Astonishingly, the USCIRF fails to mention the beheadings of Hindus and their targeted killings by jihadi Muslims in Kashmir, he said.
"Moreover, there seems to be a biased agenda of USCIRF generalising isolated incidents without considering the complexities of India's diverse population of 1.3 billion people. It is clear that the USCIRF's renewed effort lacks the necessary objectivity and fairness, and it raises questions about their true intentions and credibility," Kand said.
The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) welcomed the USCIRF's decision to recommend that India be designated as a country of particular concern for the fourth consecutive year.
"This decision reaffirms what IMAC has been saying for years that India's government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has continued to systematically violate the religious freedom of minority communities, particularly Muslims and Christians," said Rasheed Ahmed, IAMC executive director.
"It is high time that the State Department acts on USCIRF's recommendation and holds India accountable as the ground situation becomes increasingly more violent and dangerous for its religious minorities. We particularly welcome that the report highlights the systematic and appalling harassment of Journalists," Ahmed said.
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Centre spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print media ads for RSS centenary, reveals RTI
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.
The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.
Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.
“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.
RTI reply shows Min of Culture Govt of India spent a Whopping Rs 76L,13K,129 on Advertisement in Print Media on occasion of 100 yrs of #RSS
— AJAY Basudev Bose (@AjayBos93388306) April 16, 2026
When Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??@RSSorg… pic.twitter.com/dW4IUtdNCg
Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”
Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.
In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”
"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added.
Why is public money being used to serve a private ideological project?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) April 16, 2026
Modi Sarkar spent ₹76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS.
Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to… pic.twitter.com/EoZ6Pim3IM
According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.
Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.
