KEY POINTS
- The US religious freedom panel recommended sanctions on India’s RAW
- Panel says India is seeing rising minority abuse
- The panel alleged RAWA was involved in assassination plots against Sikh separatists abroad
- The panel urged the US government to designate India as a “country of particular concern”
- The religious freedom panel cites worsening conditions for religious minorities in India
- The report accused Modi and BJP of spreading “hateful rhetoric” against Muslims
- Tensions rose after the US charged ex-Indian intelligence officer
- India rejects the claims as deeply biased
WASHINGTON: A United States government panel has recommended targeted sanctions against India’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), over its alleged involvement in assassination plots against Sikh separatists abroad.
The recommendation was part of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom’s (USCIRF) annual report, released on Tuesday.
The bipartisan commission also urged the US government to designate India as a “country of particular concern” due to what it described as a deteriorating environment for religious minorities, including Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs.
The panel accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of spreading “hateful rhetoric and disinformation” during the 2024 general elections, citing Modi’s reported remarks referring to Muslims as “infiltrators” who “have more children.”
Targeting of Sikh separatists
Tensions between India and the US over Sikh separatists escalated in 2023 when Washington charged former Indian intelligence officer Vikash Yadav in connection with a plot to assassinate US-based pro-Khalistan leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
India has denied involvement in such activities and views Sikh separatist movements as a national security threat.
Concerns over religious freedom in India
The commission’s report detailed several issues affecting religious minorities in India, including the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which the United Nations has described as “fundamentally discriminatory.”
It also highlighted the enforcement of anti-conversion laws in multiple Indian states and the revocation of the illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status.
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The report further criticised the demolition of properties owned by Muslims and the use of bulldozers to target minority communities.
“In 2024, religious freedom conditions in India continued to deteriorate as attacks and discrimination against religious minorities increased,” the USCIRF stated in its report.
The Indian government has dismissed such allegations, calling them “deeply biased.”
Officials argue that the Modi administration’s policies, such as electrification projects and subsidy schemes, benefit all communities equally, irrespective of religion.
Strategic considerations and international reactions
US administrations have so far refrained from formally designating India as a “country of particular concern,” despite repeated recommendations from USCIRF.
Analysts suggest that Washington’s close ties with New Delhi in defence, trade, and Indo-Pacific security cooperation have tempered official criticism of India’s human rights record.
Vietnam was also named in the USCIRF report as a country warranting the “country of particular concern” designation.
The panel cited new government decrees increasing state control over religious practices and reported that more than 80 Vietnamese individuals had been jailed as of December 2024 for religious activities or advocacy.
Neither the Indian nor the Vietnamese embassies have yet responded to the USCIRF’s latest recommendations.
