New Delhi, March 16 – India on Monday dismissed the annual report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), stating that the US religious freedom watchdog has consistently presented a distorted and selective picture of India for several years, relying on questionable sources and ideological narratives rather than objective facts.
"We have taken note of the latest report from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). We categorically reject its biased and motivated portrayal of India," said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in response to media queries regarding the 2026 Annual Report of USCIRF.
"For several years, USCIRF has consistently presented a distorted and selective picture of India, relying on questionable sources and ideological narratives rather than objective facts. Such repeated misrepresentations only undermine the credibility of the Commission itself," he added.
India has maintained that USCIRF's persistent attempts to cast aspersions on India's vibrant multicultural society reflect a deliberate agenda rather than a genuine concern for religious freedom.
"Instead of persisting with selective criticism of India, USCIRF would do well to reflect on the disturbing incidents of vandalism and attacks on Hindu temples in the United States, the selective targeting of India, and the growing intolerance and intimidation of members of the Indian diaspora in the United States, which merit serious attention," the MEA spokesperson stated on Monday.
This is not the first time India has criticized USCIRF, the US federal government agency that monitors the universal right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) abroad and makes policy recommendations to the country's President, Secretary of State, and the US Congress.
India has previously accused the US body of continuing its pattern of issuing biased and politically motivated assessments.
"India is home to 1.4 billion people who are adherents to all religions known to mankind. However, we have no expectation that the USCIRF will engage with the reality of India's pluralistic framework or acknowledge the harmonious coexistence of its diverse communities. Such efforts to undermine India's standing as a beacon of democracy and tolerance will not succeed. In fact, it is the USCIRF that should be designated as an entity of concern," the MEA had stated while rejecting the 2025 Annual Report of USCIRF.
New Delhi's views on the US agency are well known.
"It is a biased organisation with a political agenda. It continues to misrepresent facts and peddles a motivated narrative about India. We reject this malicious report, which only serves to discredit USCIRF further," the MEA has stated earlier.