USCIRF recommends sanctions on RSS, R&AW; calls India country of 'particular concern'

The report also cited communal clashes in states such as Maharashtra, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh, blaming groups like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), an RSS affiliate, for instances of violence.

• USCIRF urges US to sanction RSS and R&AW for religious violations
• India labeled a "country of particular concern" by USCIRF
• India's External Affairs Ministry has not responded to the report

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The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended targeted sanctions on entities, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological fountainhead of the ruling BJP, and India’s external intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), citing violations of religious freedom.

The commission designated India as a “country of particular concern” and urged Washington to link arms sales and trade policies to the state of religious freedom in the country.

In its annual report, the USCIRF argued that conditions for religious freedom in India have “continued to deteriorate” and accused the government of “targeting” religious minorities and places of worship. It highlighted several states strengthening anti-conversion laws, introducing harsher prison sentences, facilitating widespread detention and illegal expulsion of citizens and religious refugees, and tolerating vigilante attacks against minority communities.

The report also cited communal clashes in states such as Maharashtra, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh, blaming groups like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), an RSS affiliate, for instances of violence.

It also criticised legislation such as the Waqf (Amendment) Act, which brings sweeping changes in regulating Islamic charitable endowments, and the Uttarakhand State Authority for Minority Education Act, claiming these laws undermine minority rights.

The USCIRF recommended that the US government enforce Section 6 of the Arms Export Control Act to halt arms sales to India based on ongoing acts of intimidation and harassment against US citizens and religious minorities.

Founded in 1998 by an act of Congress, the USCIRF monitors the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad and makes recommendations to the US President, Secretary of State, and Congress. While the commission claims to operate independently, all nine commissioners are appointed by the US President and senior political leaders in the House and Senate.

The External Affairs Ministry (EAM) is yet to respond to the latest report.

In 2025, it had dismissed USCIRF’s findings as “biased” and “politically motivated,” arguing that the commission misrepresents isolated incidents and undermines India’s pluralistic society. The ministry stated that India’s 1.4 billion people include adherents of all major religions and highlighted the country’s “harmonious coexistence” of diverse communities. “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,” it had said.

India has also previously denied visas to USCIRF teams and rejected the commission’s comments on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in 2019.