US panel recommends sanctions on RSS & RAW, India’s designation as ‘Country of Particular Concern’
Washington: The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has recommended targeted sanctions against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and India’s intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) over what it termed as systematic and egregious violations of religious freedom, and called for India to be designated as a “Country of Particular Concern.”
According to Kashmir Media Service, the recommendations were made in the USCIRF’s 2026 annual report assessing religious freedom conditions during 2025. The commission noted a continued deterioration in the situation, citing enforcement of discriminatory laws, increasing mob violence against minorities, and widespread impunity for perpetrators. It said several Indian states strengthened anti-conversion laws, some proposing life imprisonment, while others introduced provisions requiring prior notice for religious conversion, undermining fundamental rights.
The report also highlighted incidents of violence against Muslims and Christians, including mob attacks and riots in different states, as well as the targeting of refugees and minority communities. It noted that authorities detained Rohingya refugees and forced them into international waters, while Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam were expelled under allegations of being “infiltrators.”
The USCIRF further expressed concern over increasing state control of religious institutions, including legislative measures affecting Muslim endowments and religious educational bodies of multiple communities. It recommended that the US government impose sanctions, including asset freezes and visa bans, on entities such as the RSS and RAW, and link bilateral engagement with improvements in religious freedom.
The commission urged Washington to press India to allow independent assessments of religious freedom conditions and to reconsider security cooperation in light of ongoing violations. It also reiterated its earlier recommendation for India’s designation as a “Country of Particular Concern,” emphasizing that failure to act would contribute to further deterioration of religious freedoms in the country.
