USCIRF Urges U.S. to Designate India a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ Over Escalating Religious Freedom Violations

USCIRF Urges U.S. to Designate India a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ Over Escalating Religious Freedom Violations

A critical factor in the CPC recommendation is the allegation of “transnational repression”—the use of violence or intimidation against citizens living outside a country’s borders.

By RMN News Service
New Delhi | March 17, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has formally recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate India as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) for 2026. The commission cited a “severe escalation” in efforts to silence religious minorities both within India and abroad, marking what it describes as a significant deterioration in the nation’s religious freedom throughout 2025.

Systematic Legislative and Physical Deterioration

According to the USCIRF’s 2026 Annual Report, the Indian government has increasingly enforced discriminatory legislation targeting minority communities. Specifically, states such as Uttarakhand and Rajasthan have strengthened anti-conversion laws, introducing harsh penalties including life imprisonment and the criminalization of digital speech regarding religion.

The report further highlights the 2025 Waqf Bill, which seeks to place non-Muslims on boards managing Muslim land endowments, and the State Authority for Minority Education (USAME) Act, which brings educational institutions for Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Christians under direct state control. USCIRF characterizes these measures as “systematic, ongoing, and egregious” violations of religious freedom.

Beyond legislation, the commission documented a surge in vigilante attacks by Hindu nationalist groups against Muslims and Christians, noting these acts are often carried out with “impunity”. Notable incidents include a spike in retaliatory hate crimes following a April 2025 attack in Kashmir and the mass detention and illegal expulsion of religious refugees, such as Rohingya and Bengali-speaking Muslims.

Allegations of Transnational Repression

A critical factor in the CPC recommendation is the allegation of “transnational repression”—the use of violence or intimidation against citizens living outside a country’s borders. This issue was brought to the forefront by the February 2026 guilty plea of Indian national Nikhil Gupta, who admitted to a foiled murder-for-hire plot against a U.S. citizen and Sikh activist in New York.

U.S. prosecutors allege the plot was coordinated by a former official of India’s foreign intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). This case, alongside the 2023 murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, has sparked a major diplomatic crisis and led to increased calls for accountability.

Proposed Sanctions and India’s Rebuttal

In response to these findings, USCIRF has urged the U.S. government to take the following concrete actions:

• Impose targeted sanctions on Indian government agencies and individuals, specifically naming RAW and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
• Review U.S. arms sales to ensure they do not facilitate anti-minority violence.
• Link future security assistance and trade policies to demonstrable improvements in religious freedom.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has vehemently rejected the commission’s findings, labeling the report as “motivated” and a “biased characterization of India”. The Modi administration maintains that these reports are part of a global conspiracy to discredit the government and insists that religious matters are strictly an internal affair.