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Since 2023, tensions escalated between India and the US over allegations that India targeted Sikh separatists in the US and Canada.
US religious freedom panel recommended targeted sanctions against RAW over alleged involvement in assassination plots against Sikh separatists. (Image: Representative)
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom has called for targeted sanctions against India’s external intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), over its alleged involvement in assassination plots against Sikh separatists.
In its annual report released on Tuesday, the commission also claimed that the treatment of minorities in India is worsening, according to a report by Reuters.
The panel also urged the US government to designate India as a “country of particular concern” due to violations of religious freedom. However, India has yet not responded to the panel’s recommendation.
The commission also targeted Vietnam, governed by a communist regime, for allegedly increasing efforts to regulate and control religious affairs. The panel recommended that Vietnam, like India, which Washington seeks to strengthen ties with due to shared concerns about China, be designated as a “country of particular concern.”
The US has long viewed India as a counterbalance to China’s growing influence in Asia and other regions, which is why human rights issues in India have been overlooked, Reuters reported, citing analysts.
The Trump administration is unlikely to impose sanctions on the R&AW, as the panel’s recommendations are not binding.
Since 2023, tensions escalated between India and the US over allegations that India targeted Sikh separatists in the US and Canada.
A wrinkle in the India-US ties appeared after Washington charged ex-Indian intelligence officer Vikash Yadav in connection with a foiled assassination plot of pro-Khalistan leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
“In 2024, religious freedom conditions in India continued to deteriorate as attacks and discrimination against religious minorities continued to rise,” the US commission said in the report.
The report also mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) “propagated hateful rhetoric and disinformation against Muslims and other religious minorities” during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign.
(With inputs from agency)
- Location :
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)