US Panel Cites Rising Attacks on Muslims, Christians in India

India Rejects Allegations, Terms Report Politically Biased

March 27, 2025

The 2025 annual report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) accuses India of a sharp decline in religious freedom, particularly for minorities such as Muslims, Christians and Sikhs. In response, India has vehemently rejected these claims, labelling them as biased and politically motivated assessments.

The report claims that the Indian government, led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has promoted an environment of intolerance and hostility through hateful rhetoric and discriminatory policies.

The allegations include attacks on religious minorities during the 2024 national election campaign, which were reportedly fuelled by propaganda. “Such rhetoric fueled attacks on religious minorities that continued after the election, including vigilante violence, targeted and arbitrary killings, and demolition of property and places of worship,” it states.

The report also accuses Indian authorities of exploiting laws such as the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) “to crack down on civil society organizations and detain members of religious minorities, human rights defenders, and journalists reporting on religious freedom.”

It adds, “The government also replaced its criminal code with new legislation, leaving religious minorities susceptible to targeting if it deemed them as ‘endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India.’”

About the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which offers expedited citizenship to non-Muslim minorities from neighbouring countries, and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), requiring all residents to provide proof of citizenship, the report stated, “Several individuals remained in detention under the UAPA for peacefully protesting the CAA in 2019, including Umar Khalid, Meeran Haider, and Sharjeel Imam.”

It further states that in combination with the NRC, the CAA “sparked fear among Muslim communities that the authorities may strip them of their citizenship—as in July, when Foreigners’ Tribunals in Assam declared 28 Muslims ‘non-citizens’ and sent them to deportation centers.”

The report also notes the demolition of Muslim-owned properties by authorities under the guise of illegality and the replacement of mosques with Hindu temples.

“Notably, in January, Prime Minister Modi led the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, which stands on the ruins of the Babri Masjid that a Hindu mob demolished in 1992. Following the consecration, attacks against religious minorities erupted across six states. Authorities also repeatedly violated Section 295 of India’s Penal Code, which criminalizes the destruction or damage of houses of worship, by bulldozing Muslim-owned property including mosques deemed ‘illegal,’” says the report.

The USCIRF also criticises state-level anti-conversion and cow slaughter laws, which it claims are being used to disproportionately target Christians and Muslims.

Specific cases include the detention of 20 Christians in Uttar Pradesh under accusations of violating anti-conversion laws and the life imprisonment of Muslim cleric Kalim Siddiqui for alleged forced conversions.

These laws have been made stricter, with Uttar Pradesh, for example, introducing harsher penalties, including life imprisonment, and making religious conversion a nonbailable offence, the report notes.

The report also criticises Uttarakhand’s Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, which requires registration and increased scrutiny of interfaith couples.

The report also accuses the Indian government of engaging in transnational repression, particularly targeting Sikh separatists and activists abroad.

The report goes on to state, “The Indian government also continued to expand its repressive tactics to target religious minorities abroad, specifically members of the Sikh community and their advocates. Journalists, academics, and civil society organizations documenting India’s religious freedom violations reported denial of consular services, including the revocation of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards as well as threats of violence and surveillance.”

It adds, “International reporting and intelligence from the Canadian government corroborated allegations linking an official in India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and six diplomats to the 2023 assassination attempt of an American Sikh activist in New York.”

India has strongly refuted the USCIRF’s allegations.

The Official Spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, stated that the USCIRF “once again continues its pattern of issuing biased and politically motivated assessments.”

Jaiswal added, “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 continued, “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.”

Jaiswal concluded, “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.”

The USCIRF’s recommendations include designating India as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) for religious freedom violations, imposing sanctions on individuals such as RAW operative Vikash Yadav, and reviewing U.S. arms sales to India to ensure they do not contribute to human rights violations.

However, these recommendations are not binding, and are unlikely to be implemented due to the strategic partnership between the U.S. and India. The United States sees India as a critical ally in countering China’s growing influence in Asia.

The USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. government advisory body. Its primary role is to monitor and assess religious freedom conditions abroad and provide recommendations to the U.S. government, including the President, Congress, and the Department of State, regarding policies to promote and protect international religious freedom.