A religious freedom watchdog in the United States has urged the Biden administration to categorize India as a ‘country of particular concern’ under the US Religious Freedom Act, citing alleged targeting of religious minorities overseas. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) emphasized that recent attempts by New Delhi to suppress activists, journalists, and lawyers abroad pose a significant threat to religious freedom.
In a statement, the USCIRF implored the US Department of State to designate India as a Country of Particular Concern, citing India’s systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of freedom of religion or belief.
According to Reuters, Commissioner Stephen Schneck of the USCIRF expressed deep concern about New Delhi’s alleged involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, identified as a Khalistani terrorist, and a plot to harm Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, another Khalistani terrorist, in the US. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan recently disclosed that an Indian national collaborated with an unnamed Indian government employee on a plot to assassinate a New York City resident advocating for a sovereign Sikh state in northern India. New Delhi denied any involvement in this alleged plot.
Addressing security concerns, the Indian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi, mentioned the worry about a threat from Pannun to attack the Indian Parliament on the anniversary of the 2001 attack on December 13. Bagchi emphasized that threats were taken seriously, and the matter had been raised with US and Canadian authorities. Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, wanted by Indian agencies for legal violations, is at the center of diplomatic efforts to seek assistance for prosecution.
In a separate incident on December 13, two individuals breached security in the Indian Parliament’s lower house, Lok Sabha, by throwing smoke canisters inside. The mastermind, Lalit Jha, and five others have been arrested in connection with this security breach. This situation underscores the complex dynamics involving religious freedom concerns, alleged terrorist threats, and security challenges in the India-US diplomatic context, especially in relation to Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.