US panel recommends sanctions on India's external spy agency over assassination plots

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom has recommended sanctions against India’s intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), over its alleged involvement in plotting assassination of Sikh separatists abroad.

According to Reuters, the USCIRF report declared India as a “country of particular concerns,” due to the deteriorating condition for religious minorities, particularly Muslims, Christian, and Sikhs.

“In 2024, religious freedom conditions in India continued to deteriorate as attacks and discrimination against religious minorities continued to rise,” the commission said.

The report highlighted how Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Party (BJP) made “hateful” statements and spread “disinformation against minorities during general elections 2024. 

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The report also cited Modi’s remarks about Muslims that described them as “infiltrators”. 

Analysts argued that the US has consistently viewed India as a strategic partner against China's growing influence in Asia and beyond, making it more likely that Washington would turn a blind eye to India’s human rights issues.

A recent recommendation by the USCIRF to impose sanctions on India's spy agency RAW was unlikely to be implemented, given that the panel's suggestions were non-binding.    

Since 2023, tensions have risen between India and the US due to allegations that India has been targeting Sikh separatists in the US and Canada. 

This issue put a strain on US-India relations, particularly after the US charged former Indian intelligence officer Vikash Yadav for his alleged role in a foiled plot to assassinate Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.