ISLAMABAD: A new report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has warned that India’s political environment is fostering intolerance and discrimination against religious minorities, citing what it describes as “systematic, ongoing, egregious” violations of religious freedom.
The report, Issue Update: Systematic Religious Persecution in India, outlines the rise in attacks, hate speech and legal actions targeting minority communities.
USCIRF, a bipartisan US government body that monitors religious freedom worldwide, said the year saw renewed concerns over the safety and rights of Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and other groups.
According to the findings, the period ahead of India’s June 2024 national elections witnessed senior BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making remarks that USCIRF says contributed to heightened hostility against Muslims and other minorities. The rhetoric was followed by a series of violent incidents, including attacks in at least six states after the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in January.
The report notes that several authorities, including the Delhi Development Authority, oversaw the demolition of Muslim-owned homes and places of worship, sometimes replacing razed mosques with newly constructed Hindu temples. USCIRF highlighted repeated instances where local administrations bulldozed Muslim-owned structures, including religious sites, despite legal protections under Section 295 of the Indian Penal Code.
It also documents multiple cases in which state-level laws were used to target minority communities. In Uttar Pradesh, police detained 20 Christians, including four pastors, under accusations of unlawful religious conversions. The same state’s High Court sentenced Muslim cleric Kalim Siddiqui and 11 others to life imprisonment under its expanded anti-conversion legislation.
USCIRF further pointed to concerns surrounding citizenship laws. It said the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in March, combined with the National Register of Citizens (NRC), contributed to fear among Muslim communities.
The report cited incidents in Assam, where 28 Muslims were declared “non-citizens” by Foreigners’ Tribunals and sent to detention or deportation centers. It also noted that several activists from the earlier anti-CAA protests, including Umar Khalid, Meeran Haider and Sharjeel Imam, remain in detention under antiterror provisions.
The report additionally refers to cases involving Sikh activists abroad, including allegations that Indian officials sought to pressure or intimidate members of the diaspora. It cites international intelligence reports linking Indian intelligence personnel to a 2023 assassination attempt on an American Sikh activist in New York.
In its 2025 Annual Report, USCIRF again recommended that the US State Department designate India as a “Country of Particular Concern” for what it described as ongoing violations of religious freedom.
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