India Rejects US Panel’s Sanctions on RSS and RAW
India Rejects US Panel’s Sanctions on RSS and RAW
New Delhi pushes back after USCIRF calls for sanctions on RSS and RAW, saying the report distorts facts and ignores efforts toward religious harmony.
In a fresh twist to the ongoing dialogue over religious freedom, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended targeted sanctions on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), signaling a hard stance on issues India contends are being selectively portrayed. The report also designates India as a country of particular concern and urges Washington to tie arms sales and broader trade policies to religious freedom.
India’s external affairs apparatus has been quick to push back against such measures. While the ministry has not issued an immediate public reply to the latest USCIRF findings, it has previously rejected the commission’s conclusions as biased and politically motivated. Observers note the latest report follows a pattern of critiques that India says rely on narrow narratives rather than on the country’s broader social fabric and legal framework.
USCIRF’s annual review accuses conditions for religious freedom in India of deteriorating, citing measures that it says target religious minorities and places of worship. It highlights concerns about anti-conversion laws, administration of religious endowments under the Waqf (Amendment) Act, and the Uttarakhand State Authority for Minority Education Act, framing these as part of broader restrictions. The report also mentions communal clashes in states such as Maharashtra, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh, along with claims of detentions, expulsions, and vigilante violence directed at minorities.
The reaction from New Delhi is part of a broader, ongoing debate about how religious freedom is measured and how it factors into policy. Some Indian officials and commentators say such reports are biased, selectively sourced, and fail to acknowledge national efforts to promote communal harmony and safeguard minority rights within the constitutional framework. In response to similar criticisms in the past, Indian authorities have urged the US to focus on issues within its own borders while recognizing India’s commitment to a diverse and plural society.
As this diplomatic exchange unfolds, analysts say the dispute underscores the frictions that can accompany debates over religious freedom, foreign policy, and security interests between India and the United States. Both sides, however, maintain a long-standing expectation of dialogue and engagement to manage a relationship that is central to regional stability and global geopolitics.
