USCIRF's India Report Sparks Diplomatic Backlash

The United States Department of State is closely monitoring India following a controversial report by the USCIRF. The report's criticism of India's religious freedom prompted a defensive response from Indian authorities, who dismissed it as biased. The State Department reaffirmed their independent stance, observing religious issues worldwide.

The United States Department of State announced on Tuesday that it is actively monitoring the situation of religious freedom in India following a report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller emphasized that the USCIRF operates independently and is not a part of the department.

Miller's comments came amid discussions over the USCIRF's latest report, which suggested sanctions against certain Indian individuals and entities and called for India's designation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC). He clarified the State Department had previously assessed that India did not meet the CPC criteria but remains vigilant about global religious freedoms.

The report was met with strong criticism from India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), which labeled it as 'malicious and biased', accusing USCIRF of spreading a politically motivated narrative. MEA spokesman Randhir Jaiswal urged the commission to focus on domestic US human rights issues rather than targeting India.