India dismisses US religious freedom panel, labels it an 'Entity of Concern'

India on Wednesday stated that the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) should be identified as a "country of particular concern." It stated that the recent annual report continues its trend of providing "biased and politically motivated reports."

Questions Its Credibility

"We have seen the newly released 2025 Annual Report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which once again follows its trend of releasing biased and politically motivated reports, has quoted ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. "The USCIRF's persistent efforts to distort isolated incidents and level unsubstantiated accusations against India's rich multicultural society are indicative of a calculated agenda and not a genuine concern for religious freedom," Jaiswal also stated.

Rejects Allegations

India is inhabited by 1.4 billion people who are followers of all the religions known to human kind. We do not expect, however, that the USCIRF will interact with the reality of India's pluralistic order or recognize its communities' harmonious living," Jaiswal continued. "These attempts at discrediting India as a shining example of democracy and tolerance will fail. Indeed, it is the USCIRF which should be categorized as an entity of concern," he added.