New Delhi, November 10, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India on Tuesday criticised the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), describing it as a “biased and ill-informed organisation” with a “blatantly political agenda”. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also accused the commission of remaining silent on attacks against religious places and hate crimes targeting the Indian community in the US.
Speaking at a media briefing in New Delhi, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the commission and its members had consistently failed to speak out against such incidents.
“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,” he said.
Jaiswal’s remarks came amid concerns over an alleged attempt to attack a Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois, last month. Prosecutors allege that 19-year-old Alexandros Paporakis, a self-identified neo-Nazi from Palatine, attempted to shoot a man outside the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple on October 11, the first day of Navaratri, but his rifle jammed.
According to prosecutors, Paporakis had also written an eight-page white supremacist manifesto describing violence against people of Indian descent at a Hindu place of worship. Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli had condemned the alleged attempt, saying members of the community had been targeted by someone driven by hatred.
As many as 105 US lawmakers had urged the FBI to investigate the alleged incident as a possible federal hate crime, citing growing threats against Indian-Americans and other South Asian communities. They also referred to a September 2026 study by the Centre for the Study of Organised Hate, which found that more than 542,000 anti-South Asian hateful posts appeared on X between January 2025 and June 2026.
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