USCIRF recommends designating India as 'country of particular concern'
New Delhi trashes report as 'biased'
New Delhi, Mar 26 (PTI): India on Wednesday trashed a report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and said its "persistent" attempts to cast aspersions on the country's vibrant multicultural society reflect a "deliberate" agenda rather than a genuine concern for religious freedom.
In its reaction, New Delhi described the report as "biased and politically motivated" and said the efforts to "undermine" India's standing as a beacon of democracy and tolerance will not succeed, adding the USCIRF should be designated as an "entity of concern".
In its 2025 annual report, the USCIRF alleged that religious freedom conditions in India continued to deteriorate as attacks and discrimination against religious minorities continued to rise.
The USCIRF recommended to the US government to impose "targeted sanctions on individuals and entities, such as Vikash Yadav and RAW, for their culpability in severe violations of religious freedom by freezing their assets and/or barring their entry into the United States".
The US has charged Yadav, a former Indian government official, in the alleged foiled plot to kill Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil in 2023.
In its recommendation, the USCIRF also called for designating India as a "country of particular concern" or CPC, for engaging in and "tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations, as defined by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA)".
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the report once again continued its pattern of issuing "biased and politically motivated assessments."
"The USCIRF's persistent attempts to misrepresent isolated incidents and cast aspersions on India's vibrant multicultural society reflect a deliberate agenda rather than a genuine concern for religious freedom," he said.
"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," he said.
Jaiswal was responding to media queries on the USCIRF report.
"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," he said.
In the report, the American entity also recommended to the US government to conduct a "review assessing whether arms sales to India, such as MQ-9B drones under Section 36 of the Arms Export Control Act, may contribute to or exacerbate religious freedom violations".
Authorities in India continued to exploit anti-terror and financing laws, including the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) to crack down on civil society organisations and detain members of religious minorities, human rights defenders, and journalists reporting on religious freedom, it claimed.
In October last year, India sealed a mega deal with the US to procure 31 Predator drones from General Atomics at a cost of nearly USD 4 billion to crank up the military's combat prowess along the contested borders with China.
The supply of the Predator drones is expected to begin in January, 2029.
The USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan US federal government agency. It makes policy recommendations to the US President, Secretary of State, and Congress and tracks the implementation of these recommendations.
Our response to media queries regarding the 2025 Annual Report of United States Commission on International Religious Freedom⬇️
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) March 26, 2025
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7 injured as Bengaluru-Kamakhya Express derails in Odisha
Cuttack (PTI): Seven people were injured as an express train derailed in Odisha's Cuttack district on Sunday, officials said. Eleven coaches of the SMVT Bengaluru-Kamakhya AC Express derailed at Nirgundi near Manguli at 11.54 am, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of the East Coast Railway Ashok Kumar Mishra said.
Odisha Fire Service Director-General Sudhansu Sarangi said seven injured people have been rescued and taken to a nearby hospital. "The maximum number of injured persons should not be more than 10," he said. Personnel of the NDRF and Odisha Fire Service were assisting the railway in the rescue operation, he added.
The train was heading to Kamakhya station in Assam's Guwahati from Bengaluru. Mishra said a relief train has been sent to the spot.
"Arrangements are being made to help the affected passengers reach their destinations. Our priority is to restore the line at the earliest and accordingly, other trains will be diverted," he said.
Three trains were diverted because of the derailment. These trains are Dhauli Express, Neelachal Express and Purulia Express, officials said.
Helplines -- 8455885999 and 8991124238 -- have also been activated by the railways, they said.
