New Delhi has strongly rejected the 2025 Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), labeling it as “biased and politically motivated.” The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has criticized the USCIRF’s findings and suggested that the commission itself should be designated as an “entity of concern.”
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, responding to media queries on the report, stated that the USCIRF has once again misrepresented isolated incidents and attempted to cast aspersions on India’s diverse and multicultural society. “The USCIRF’s persistent attempts to misrepresent isolated incidents and cast aspersions on India’s vibrant multicultural society reflect a deliberate agenda rather than a genuine concern for religious freedom,” Jaiswal said.
Our response to media queries regarding the 2025 Annual Report of United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
https://t.co/c5tAF1INZ3 pic.twitter.com/PvpwbZHv5u
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) March 26, 2025
He further emphasized that India, with a population of 1.4 billion, is home to followers of all major religions and prides itself on its pluralistic framework. However, he expressed no expectation that the USCIRF would acknowledge this reality. “Such efforts to undermine India’s standing as a beacon of democracy and tolerance will not succeed. In fact, it is the USCIRF that should be designated as an entity of concern,” he asserted.
The USCIRF’s report has urged the U.S. government to designate India as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) for allegedly engaging in or tolerating religious freedom violations. It claimed that attacks and discrimination against religious minorities in India had worsened in 2024.
India has consistently dismissed USCIRF reports in the past, calling them uninformed and reflective of a preconceived narrative. The latest rebuttal reaffirms India’s stance that the commission’s findings lack credibility and fail to recognize the country’s commitment to democratic values and religious coexistence.
