India rebuts US panel’s recommendation to sanction R&AW, RSS

The Indian government has rejected a recommendation by a US federal panel calling for sanctions on India’s external intelligence agency and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), accusing the body of presenting a “distorted and selective picture” of the country.

The response came after the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its 2026 annual report, which urged the US government to designate India as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) over alleged violations of religious freedom.

The report also recommended targeted sanctions against India’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), and the RSS, suggesting measures such as freezing assets and barring entry into the United States for individuals or entities found responsible for alleged violations.

Reacting to the report, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the government “categorically rejects its motivated and biased characterisation of India.” He said the commission has repeatedly relied on “questionable sources and ideological narratives rather than objective facts.”

Jaiswal added that such assessments undermine the credibility of the commission and amount to selective criticism of India. He also urged the body to instead focus on incidents such as attacks on Hindu temples and concerns related to the Indian diaspora in the United States.

The USCIRF report claimed that conditions for religious freedom in India continued to deteriorate in 2025, citing laws affecting religious minorities and alleged vigilante attacks targeting minority communities.

It also recommended that Washington consider linking future US security assistance and trade policies with India to improvements in religious freedom conditions.

The USCIRF is an independent bipartisan body established by the US Congress in 1998 to monitor religious freedom worldwide and make policy recommendations to the US President, Congress and the Secretary of State. However, its recommendations are advisory and not binding on the US government.

India has previously criticised USCIRF reports as politically motivated and has rejected similar allegations in earlier years, saying they fail to reflect the country’s pluralistic and constitutional framework that guarantees freedom of religion.