India Accuses US Religious Freedom Commission of Bias, Cites Silence on Anti-Indian Hate Crimes

NEW DELHI–India has sharply criticized the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), accusing the federal advisory body of pursuing a political agenda while failing to address attacks on Hindu religious institutions and hate crimes targeting Indian Americans in the United States.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made the remarks Tuesday during a media briefing in New Delhi, questioning the commission’s credibility and its approach to religious freedom issues.

“The USCIRF (United States Commission on International Religious Freedom) is a biased and ill-informed organisation with a blatantly political agenda,” Jaiswal said.

The Indian government accused the commission of selectively addressing religious freedom concerns while remaining silent on incidents involving violence, racial harassment and discrimination against members of the Indian diaspora in the United States.

“It is particularly telling, and you must note that the USCIRF and its commissioners have consistently kept silent on attacks on religious places in the United States, as well as on hate crimes and racial abuse that are targeted at the Indian community in the United States. Prejudiced entities like the USCIRF can hardly be taken seriously,” Jaiswal said.

The criticism comes amid heightened concerns over threats against Hindu places of worship and Indian American communities.

In October, authorities in Illinois reportedly prevented a potential attack at the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple in Aurora during the Hindu festival of Navaratri.

Prosecutors allege that 19-year-old Alexandros Paporakis of Palatine, Illinois, a self-identified neo-Nazi, attempted to shoot a man outside the temple on October 11 but was unable to fire because his rifle malfunctioned.

Authorities also alleged that Paporakis had written an eight-page white supremacist manifesto outlining violence against people of Indian descent at a Hindu place of worship.

Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli condemned the alleged incident, emphasizing the threat it posed to members of the local community.

“There was an attempted attack on our residents, members of our community, who were at a Hindu temple in Aurora, by somebody who was full of hate and all sorts of ideas that our community just does not tolerate,” Wehrli said.

The incident prompted 105 U.S. lawmakers to call on the Federal Bureau of Investigation to examine the alleged attack as a possible federal hate crime.

In their appeal, the lawmakers warned that Indian Americans and other South Asian communities were facing increasing threats of racially and religiously motivated violence.

“No one should fear being targeted because of their ancestry, appearance, or faith, and no congregation should have to wonder whether gathering for worship will make its members targets of mass violence,” the lawmakers wrote.

The lawmakers also referenced a September 2026 study by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate, which identified more than 542,000 posts containing anti-South Asian hate on X between January 2025 and June 2026.

India’s latest criticism highlights continuing tensions between New Delhi and USCIRF over the commission’s assessments of religious freedom and its treatment of incidents affecting Indian communities abroad. (Source: IANS)