RT.com
16 Mar 2026, 15:07 GMT+10
The American government agency has accused New Delhi of targeting religious minorities
A US government watchdog has called for sanctions on India's external intelligence agency and a social service organization for allegedly violating religious freedom.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended sanctions targeting the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), the country's external intelligence agency; and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological 'parent' of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party.
The USCIRF recommended that these entities be sanctioned for what it called "their responsibility and tolerance of severe violations of religious freedom." It has also demanded "freezing those individuals' or entities' assets and/or barring their entry into the United States."
The panel said India should be designated as a "country of particular concern" for engaging in and "tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations."
India has yet to respond to the development. This is not the first time that the USCIRF has levelled such charges against New Delhi and various entities in the South Asian nation.
In March 2025, the agency chided India over the alleged "worsening treatment of minorities in the country."
It demanded India's designation as a "country of particular concern" and recommended imposing targeted sanctions on RAW over alleged links to plots targeting Sikh separatists in North America last year.
The Indian Foreign Ministry flatly rejected the accusations, saying the USCIRF has a "pattern of issuing biased and politically motivated assessments." It also cited the US organization's "persistent attempts" to misrepresent isolated incidents that "reflect adeliberate agendarather than a genuine concern for religious freedom."
The USCIRF claims it acts independently. The agency's nine commissioners are appointed by the US president and senior political leaders in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Thailand Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Thailand Herald.
More InformationSYDNEY/LONDON: The war involving Iran is disrupting travel worldwide, forcing airlines to reroute flights, raising ticket prices, and...
SEOUL, South Korea: North Korean media reported on March 11 that the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, and his teenage daughter observed...
BENGALURU/CHENNAI: Restaurants and hotels across India warned on March 10 that cooking operations could be disrupted or even halted...
The American government agency has accused New Delhi of targeting religious minorities A US government watchdog has called for sanctions...
New Delhi [India], March 16 (ANI): The Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Monday informed the Lok Sabha of the number...
Paris [France], March 16 (ANI): The International Energy Agency (IEA) has said that 400 million barrels of oil from its emergency reserves...
NORFOLK, Virginia: The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) students at Virginia's Old Dominion University on March 13 subdued and...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: While opinion polls on the U.S. military action against Iran show Americans clearly divided along party lines, most...
VILLA RICA, Georgia: A 12-year-old girl died days after being taken to a hospital following a fistfight at a bus stop in her Georgia...
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania: The head priest and dean of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Pittsburgh was arrested for stealing...
LONDON, U.K.: Documents released on March 11 have revealed that Prime Minister Keir Starmer was warned of the risks in appointing Peter...
A billboard campaign expressing gratitude to both God and U.S. President Donald Trump was launched across Israel on Thursday, according...
