‘India didn’t meet threshold for designation as country of particular concern’: US on USCIRF report on religious freedom

The US State Department, commenting on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) report that suggested designating India as a country of particular concern over its religious freedom, said India did not meet the threshold. It also underscored that USCIRF is not a part of the state department but just an independent commission that provides policy recommendations. 

US State Department Spokesperson, Matthew Miller, responding to a question on the USCIRF report that state that the Indian government repressed and restricted religious communities through enforcement of discriminatory legislation, said, "We saw the reports, USCIRF is an independent commission that provides policy recommendations to the executive branch as well as to Congress. It's not a part of the State Department or part of the executive branch.”

“I think as you know, after careful review in December of last year, the Secretary assessed that India did not meet the threshold for designation as a country of particular concern. But we continue to carefully monitor the religious freedom situation in every country including India," he said. 

The USCIRF report authored by senior policy analyst Sema Hasan, released earlier this month, stated that individuals were “killed, beaten, and lynched by vigilante groups, religious leaders have been arbitrarily arrested, and homes and places of worship have been demolished”, making for severe violations of religious freedom. 

“In its 2024 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the US Department of State designate India as a Country of Particular Concern for engaging in particularly severe religious freedom violations,” it stated. 

India rebuffed the report and accused the commission of exhibiting clear bias and political agenda. Soon after the report was released, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "Our stance on the USCIRF is well established. This organisation exhibits clear bias and pursues a political agenda." He said the commission misrepresented facts and perpetuated a distorted narrative about India, asserting that the report only serves to undermine the credibility of the USCIRF itself.

Jaiswal called on the commission to "cease its agenda-driven efforts" and advised it to redirect its focus on addressing human rights violations within the US.