India Rejects 'Biased and Politically Motivated' Report by USCIRF on Religious Freedom, Calls it 'Entity of Concern'

New Delhi: India on Wednesday strongly rejected the report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), calling it "biased and politically motivated." The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) dismissed the report and stated that the Commission should be designated as an "entity of concern."

"We have seen the recently released 2025 Annual Report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which once again continues its pattern of issuing biased and politically motivated assessments. 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," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

Jaiswal further argued that India, home to 1.4 billion people, respects all religions known to mankind.

"India is home to 1.4 billion people who are adherents to all religions known to mankind. However, we have no expectation that the USCIRF will engage with the reality of India’s pluralistic framework or acknowledge the harmonious coexistence of its diverse communities," Jaiswal further added.

The MEA spokesperson suggested that USCIRF should be designated as an "entity of concern."

"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."

The USCIRF report documents "religious freedom conditions in 2024 and recommends policy to the White House, Congress, and State Department to advance freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) abroad."

“As repressive governments and violent entities attack and drastically erode freedom of religion or belief, USCIRF’s independent reporting and bipartisan recommendations have never been more critical to U.S. foreign policy,” said USCIRF Chair Stephen Schneck.

"The U.S. government must continue to stand firm against these threats against the universal right of religious freedom."