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Key Points
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended targeted sanctions against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and India’s intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), citing alleged violations of religious freedom.
The panel has again urged the US government to designate India a “country of particular concern,” arguing that religious freedom conditions have deteriorated due to legislation, law enforcement actions and vigilante violence.
The recommendations are not binding, but the report calls on Washington to link arms sales and trade policies with India to improvements in religious freedom and to consider freezing assets or imposing travel bans on entities deemed responsible.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its annual report on 4 March 2026, which documents global religious freedom conditions and makes policy recommendations to the US government based on its findings.
The 2026 report sought to designate India as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). According to the commission, a CPC designation is applied to countries that engage in or tolerate “systematic, ongoing and egregious” violations of religious freedom.
Citing severe violations of religious freedom, USCIRF also recommended that Washington impose targeted sanctions on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and India’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW). The panel’s suggestions include freezing the assets of the organisations and barring their entry into the US.
The USCIRF is a US federal government commission established by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. Its commissioners are appointed by the US president as well as leaders of both political parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives. The commission monitors violations of religious freedom worldwide and makes policy recommendations to the US president, secretary of state and Congress, although its suggestions are not legally binding.
In its latest report, the commission said that religious freedom conditions in India “continued to deteriorate” during 2025. It alleged that the government introduced and enforced legislation targeting religious minorities and their houses of worship while tolerating acts of violence and harassment against minority communities.
Among the laws highlighted in the report were provisions linked to religious conversions and legislation affecting religious institutions. The commission noted that several Indian states have strengthened anti-conversion laws by expanding the definition of “religious conversion” and introducing harsher penalties, including longer prison sentences.
The report also referred to legislation such as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), the National Register of Citizens (NRC) framework and the Waqf (Amendment) Act, highlighting that these laws have had a disproportionate impact on minority communities.
In addition, the panel criticised provisions of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), arguing that these laws have been used to target individuals advocating for minority rights.
The USCIRF also cited incidents of communal violence across multiple states, including Maharashtra, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh. It referred to clashes linked to protests and tensions involving religious groups and blamed organisations such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), an affiliate of the RSS, for instances of violence.
One incident cited in the report involved violence in Maharashtra following protests related to the tomb of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb. The unrest resulted in injuries and curfews after rumours circulated during demonstrations. The report also described attacks on Christian families in Odisha and alleged that police failed to intervene in some cases.
In another example, the commission pointed to attacks on Muslims that followed the Pahalgam attack in April 2025. According to the report, anti-Muslim sentiment intensified after the attack, leading to alleged hate crimes in several states.
The panel also raised concerns about enforcement actions targeting migrants and refugees. It cited cases in which Rohingya refugees were detained and transported into international waters near the coast of Myanmar before being forced to swim ashore wearing life vests.
The commission further criticised the detention of individuals accused of forced religious conversions and noted that several activists connected to protests against the CAA in 2020 remain in prison without trial, naming Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.
In addition to sanctions against the RSS and R&AW – which include a freeze on their assets and a ban on their entry into the US – the USCIRF recommended that the US government enforce Section 6 of the Arms Export Control Act, which could halt arms sales to India in response to what it described as intimidation or harassment of religious minorities and US citizens. The report also suggested tying bilateral trade policies and US security assistance to improvement in religious freedom conditions.
The commission further called on the US Congress to reintroduce and pass the Transnational Repression Reporting Act of 2024, which would require annual reporting on alleged acts of transnational repression targeting religious minorities in the US. It further urged the US government to press India to allow in-country assessments of religious freedom conditions by the USCIRF and the US Department of State.
India is among 18 countries recommended by the commission for designation as “countries of particular concern.” Other countries listed in the report include Afghanistan, Myanmar, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Libya, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Vietnam.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has not yet responded to the latest report. However, the Indian government has previously rejected USCIRF assessments. In 2025, the ministry described the commission’s findings as “biased” and “politically motivated,” arguing that they misrepresent isolated incidents and overlook India’s pluralistic social fabric.
India has previously denied visas to USCIRF delegations and rejected the commission’s criticism of domestic policies, including its assessment of the CAA in 2019.
Despite its criticisms, the report also acknowledged continuing diplomatic engagement between the US and India. In February 2025, US President Donald Trump hosted PM Modi for a state visit in Washington. The same year, US Vice President JD Vance visited India to discuss a potential trade agreement.
The release of the USCIRF report comes amid growing geopolitical cooperation between the two countries on trade, technology and regional security, even as human rights and religious freedom issues remain a recurring point of contention in bilateral discussions.
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