India calls US panel's report on religious freedom as politically motivated
This story was originally published at 17:25 IST on 26 March 2025
Register to read our real-time news.Informist, Wednesday, Mar. 26, 2025
NEW DELHI – The Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday rejected the annual report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, which said that minorities in India face deteriorating treatment. Foreign ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called the commission's assessment as "biased and politically motivated." He further said the US Commission on International Religious Freedom should be designated as an entity of concern.
"The commission'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," Jaiswal said in a statement.
The ministry contended that India is home to 1.4 billion people "who adher to all religions known to mankind". "However, we have no expectation that the US Commission will engage with the reality of India's pluralistic framework or acknowledge the harmonious coexistence of its diverse communities," Jaiswal said. "Such efforts to undermine India's standing as a beacon of democracy and tolerance will not succeed."
The panel's report recommended sanctions against India's external spy agency Research and Analysis Wing over alleged involvement in assassination plots against Sikh separatists. "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 US," the report said.
It also recommended the US government to designate India as a "country of particular concern" for engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations, as defined by the International Religious Guidelines to Support Civil Society and Freedom Act.
"In 2024, religious freedom conditions in India continued to deteriorate as attacks and discrimination against religious minorities continued to rise. Prior to national elections in June, Bharatiya Janata Party members, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, propagated hateful rhetoric and disinformation against Muslims and other religious minorities to gather political support. Such rhetoric fueled attacks on religious minorities that continued after the election," the report said. End
Reported by Kuldeep Singh
Edited by Tanima Banerjee
For users of real-time market data terminals, Informist news is available exclusively on the NSE Cogencis WorkStation.
Cogencis news is now Informist news. This follows the acquisition of Cogencis Information Services Ltd by NSE Data & Analytics Ltd, a 100% subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. As a part of the transaction, the news department of Cogencis has been sold to Informist Media Pvt Ltd.
Informist Media Tel +91 (11) 4220-1000
Send comments to feedback@informistmedia.com
© Informist Media Pvt. Ltd. 2025. All rights reserved.
To read more please subscribe
Share this Story:
