India has firmly rejected the latest report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), calling it biased and politically motivated.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) criticised the USCIRF for misrepresenting isolated incidents and casting aspersions on India's pluralistic and diverse society.
The annual report released by the USCIRF urged the US government to categorise India as a "country of particular concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) for what it described as "systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations." The report alleged that the situation for religious minorities in India had worsened in 2024, claiming increased attacks and discrimination against these communities.
Responding to the report, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal expressed disappointment over the repeated attempts by the USCIRF to undermine India's status as a democratic and tolerant nation.
He stated that the USCIRF's approach appears to be driven by a deliberate agenda rather than a genuine concern for religious freedom.
Jaiswal highlighted India's multicultural framework, which accommodates people of various faiths, and asserted that the nation's diversity is celebrated through its constitutional principles.
"We have seen the recently released 2025 Annual Report of the USCIRF, which once again continues its pattern of issuing biased and politically motivated assessments," Jaiswal said.
He added that India, home to 1.4 billion people of all major religions, does not expect the USCIRF to engage meaningfully with the nation's pluralistic framework or acknowledge the harmonious coexistence of its diverse communities.
Jaiswal further asserted that attempts to damage India's global reputation as a beacon of democracy and tolerance would not succeed. He suggested that the USCIRF itself should be considered an "entity of concern" for its consistent misrepresentation of India's social fabric.
India has previously dismissed the USCIRF's reports, labelling them as based on inaccurate information and lacking a proper understanding of the country's socio-political landscape.
The USCIRF, an independent body established by the US government, has been criticised in the past for what many view as selective reporting and biased assessments against specific nations.
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