Wed Mar 26 03:54:53 UTC 2025: ## US Panel Urges Sanctions Against India Over Religious Freedom Concerns

**Washington, D.C. –** The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended targeted sanctions against India’s intelligence agency, R&AW, citing its alleged involvement in assassination plots against Sikh separatists. The recommendation, part of the panel’s annual report released Tuesday, also calls for designating India a “country of particular concern” for religious freedom violations.

The report details a deterioration of religious freedom in India since 2023, citing rising attacks and discrimination against religious minorities, particularly Muslims. The USCIRF points to inflammatory rhetoric from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP party during last year’s election campaign as a contributing factor. The report also highlights the impact of India’s citizenship law, anti-conversion legislation, and the revocation of Kashmir’s special status on religious minorities.

While acknowledging the strategic relationship between the US and India, particularly in countering China’s influence, the USCIRF argues that human rights concerns in India can no longer be overlooked. The report’s recommendations include sanctions against a former Indian intelligence officer, Vikash Yadav, also implicated in alleged assassination plots.

India has denied all allegations, labeling Sikh separatists as security threats and dismissing previous US State Department reports on human rights abuses as biased. The Indian embassy has yet to issue a formal response to the USCIRF’s latest findings.

The report also criticizes Vietnam for increasing restrictions on religious freedom, recommending that it too be designated a “country of particular concern.” The USCIRF highlights Vietnam’s new decree allowing authorities to demand financial records from religious organizations and suspend religious activities under vaguely defined grounds.

The USCIRF’s recommendations are advisory and not binding on the US government. However, the report underscores growing concerns within the US about religious freedom and human rights in both India and Vietnam.

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