‘Entity of concern’: Government lashes out at USCIRF

NEW DELHI: The government on Wednesday hit out at

US Commission on International Religious Freedom

(USCIRF) for raising concerns in its annual report about India’s treatment of minorities and seeking sanctions against RAW for allegedly plotting to kill

Sikh separatists

.
In an official response, the foreign ministry said “such efforts to undermine India’s standing as a beacon of democracy and tolerance would not succeed”, and it was the panel that “should be designated as an entity of concern”.
The ministry said USCIRF — a US federal government commission that monitors the universal right to

freedom of religion

abroad and makes non-binding recommendations — had continued its pattern of issuing biased and politically motivated assessments.
“USCIRF’s persistent attempts to misrepresent isolated incidents and cast aspersions on India’s vibrant multicultural society reflect a deliberate agenda rather than a genuine concern for religious freedom,” foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.