US Report Calls for "Targeted Sanctions" Against Indian Intelligence Agencies, New Delhi Blasts US for "Distorting Image"

What is the strategic intention behind AI’s mention of U.S. domestic incidents when countering India?

【Global Times Special Correspondent Bai Yufei in India】The Hindu reports that the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on the 16th that the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) distorted and selectively described India in its latest annual report. The commission should not criticize India based on “ideological narratives.”

The report states that India is responsible for multiple violations of religious freedom and calls on the U.S. government to impose targeted sanctions on Indian intelligence agencies and others.

The full text of the report, available on the USCIRF website, spans 100 pages. Besides India, it also criticizes or mentions nearly 30 countries including Myanmar, Iran, Nigeria, Russia, and Cuba, mainly developing countries.

The report mentions that the Indian government, especially the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is suspected of infringing on religious freedom and should have their assets frozen and entry into the U.S. banned. In its 2025 annual report, USCIRF designated India as a “Country of Particular Concern” and recommended that U.S. arms sales and bilateral trade be influenced by India’s religious freedom situation.

According to The Hindu, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jaishankar issued a statement on the evening of the 16th, saying: “For years, USCIRF has persisted in distorting and selectively portraying India, relying on dubious sources and ideological narratives rather than objective facts. Such repeated distortions only damage the credibility of the commission itself.”

The statement added that rather than continuing to selectively criticize India, USCIRF should reflect on the “disturbing” incidents of vandalized Hindu temples and attacks on Hindus within the U.S., as well as the increasing “intolerance and intimidation” faced by the Indian-origin community in America.

Public records show that USCIRF was established in 1998 by an act passed by the U.S. Congress. Its responsibility is to “monitor the universal right to religious or belief freedom abroad” and to provide recommendations to the U.S. President, State Department, and Congress.

The Times of India reports that although USCIRF claims to operate independently, all nine of its members are appointed by the U.S. President and senior leaders of the House and Senate. Prior to this rebuttal, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had called USCIRF a “politically biased organization” with “partisan motives,” accusing it of distorting facts and pushing a malicious narrative against India.