India Rejects USCIRF Remarks on Gurdwara Attacksਭਾਰਤ ਨੇ ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਿਆਂ ’ਤੇ ਹਮਲਿਆਂ ਬਾਰੇ USCIRF ਦੀਆਂ ਟਿੱਪਣੀਆਂ ਰੱਦ ਕੀਤੀਆਂ

India on Tuesday dismissed remarks by two senior officials of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) who claimed that Sikh gurdwaras in India have been targeted in vigilante attacks, with the foreign ministry calling the American body biased and politically motivated.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal rejected the comments at his weekly briefing in New Delhi, and asked why the commission had stayed silent on attacks on religious places in the United States and on hate crimes against Indians living there.

What did the USCIRF commissioners say?

USCIRF Commissioner David Anderson had said on social media that over the last several weeks, Sikh gurdwaras in India had been targeted with vigilante attacks, including attempts to harm religious leaders. He said the United States should link security assistance to the Indian government's response to violence that stops people exercising freedom of religious belief.

Another commissioner, Joe Grogan, said attacks on houses of worship in India, including churches, gurdwaras and mosques, undermined freedom of religion or belief rights set out in international law. He said the US government should keep pressing India to hold perpetrators of such violence accountable and to protect places of worship.

How did India respond?

Jaiswal described the commission in blunt terms. "The USCIRF is a biased and ill-informed organisation with a blatantly political agenda," he said, responding to a question on the commissioners' remarks.

"It is particularly telling that the USCIRF and its commissioners have consistently chosen to remain silent on attacks on religious places in the US and on the hate crimes and racial abuse targeted at the Indian community in the US. A prejudiced entity can hardly be taken seriously," he added.

Why the row matters

India has rejected USCIRF findings before. In August, the commission called for sanctions against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and asked Washington not to extend diplomatic courtesies to its leaders, remarks New Delhi also rejected.

Earlier this year, the commission's annual report recommended that India be designated a Country of Particular Concern for a second consecutive year and called for targeted sanctions against Indian agencies and officials, including the Research and Analysis Wing and its former chief Vikram Yadav. India called that report biased and politically motivated.

The USCIRF is a bipartisan US federal government agency that monitors religious freedom around the world and makes policy recommendations to the US President, the Secretary of State and Congress. Its recommendations are not binding on the US government.

For Punjabi readers, the exchange matters because it touches directly on the safety of gurdwaras and on the treatment of Indians abroad, two subjects the foreign ministry itself raised in its reply.

What is the USCIRF?

The USCIRF is a bipartisan US federal government agency that tracks religious freedom around the world and advises the US President, Secretary of State and Congress. Its recommendations do not bind the US government.

What did the commissioners claim about gurdwaras?

Commissioner David Anderson said Sikh gurdwaras in India had faced vigilante attacks in recent weeks, including attempts to harm religious leaders, and fellow commissioner Joe Grogan said attacks on houses of worship undermine freedom of religion rights.

Has India rejected USCIRF findings before?

Yes. India rejected the commission's call in August for sanctions against the RSS, and earlier this year it dismissed the annual report that recommended India be named a Country of Particular Concern.