New Delhi, August 28, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A strategic communications and national security commentator has criticised the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for its latest statement targeting Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat’s visit to the United States, arguing that the commission’s assessment overlooks India’s long record of religious diversity and coexistence.
The commentator described the USCIRF statement as a politically motivated intervention, objecting particularly to its reported calls for targeted sanctions against RSS members and Indian officials, consideration of visa restrictions against Bhagwat and its continued recommendation that India be designated a “Country of Particular Concern”.
The commentary also questioned the timing of the statement, noting that India is preparing to host the BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13 amid its growing economic and diplomatic influence.
Arguing that India’s religious landscape presents a more complex picture than the USCIRF assessment suggests, the writer cited findings from the Pew Research Center’s survey of nearly 30,000 Indian adults conducted in 17 languages. According to the figures cited, 91 per cent of respondents said they were very free to practise their religion. The corresponding figures were 89 per cent among Muslims and Christians, 91 per cent among Hindus, 93 per cent among Buddhists, 85 per cent among Jains and 82 per cent among Sikhs.
The writer further cited Pew findings that 79 per cent of Indians considered people belonging to other religions very free to practise their faith, while 84 per cent said respecting all religions was very important to being “truly Indian”.
The commentary also referred to a Global Minority Report attributed to the Centre for Policy Analysis, which it said ranked India first among 110 countries for inclusivity towards religious minorities.
India’s constitutional framework was cited as another example of its pluralistic tradition. Article 25 guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to profess, practise and propagate religion, while Article 26 provides religious denominations rights concerning their institutions and religious affairs.
The writer also highlighted India’s historical acceptance of Jewish and Zoroastrian communities, arguing that their presence demonstrated the country’s longstanding tradition of allowing religious minorities to retain their identities.
On the RSS, the commentator said he was not a member of the organisation and did not speak for it, but questioned what he described as sustained external scrutiny of the Sangh. He argued that its emphasis on Indic identity, self-reliance and resistance to external influence should be debated rather than automatically portrayed negatively.
The commentary also questioned the consistency of international criticism, contrasting USCIRF’s concerns about India with its own documentation regarding religious-freedom restrictions in Pakistan, including blasphemy laws and cases involving alleged forced conversions.
The writer acknowledged that issues such as foreign funding and religious conversion remain subjects of legitimate debate in India, including regulation under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), but argued that such regulatory measures should not automatically be treated as evidence of an absence of religious freedom.
Concluding the commentary, the writer maintained that India’s constitutional democracy, religious diversity and history of providing refuge to persecuted communities should form part of any assessment of religious freedom in the country.
The writer is a strategic communications and national security commentator, entrepreneur and founder of Milli Chronicle UK, and writes and speaks on geopolitics, national security, international affairs and strategic narratives.
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