Geopolitical Gaslighting And India-US Relations – OpEd
In April 2025, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) once again pulled no punches in calling out India’s deepening descent into religious authoritarianism.
The latest report paints a grim picture—not of isolated incidents, but of a structural, state-enabled ecosystem of religious repression. For the fifth consecutive year, the USCIRF has recommended India’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), placing the world’s largest democracy in the company of notorious human rights abusers.
What makes the 2025 edition especially jarring is not just the repetition of accusations—it’s the pattern of normalization. Mob violence, mosque demolitions, draconian laws, and the weaponization of nationalism are no longer outliers; they are becoming standard operating procedures.
The report meticulously outlines how Hindutva, once an ideological current pushed by fringe groups, has now been mainstreamed into statecraft. Under the Modi-led BJP government, majoritarian narratives have shaped everything from law enforcement priorities to public discourse. And ahead of the 2024 elections, the weaponization of communal divisions became particularly vicious. Hate speeches from top political leaders—including Prime Minister Narendra Modi—were amplified, legitimizing vigilante groups and emboldening attacks against Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, and even Dalits. The line between state and sectarianism has all but vanished. The “bulldozer justice” phenomenon, where homes and businesses of Muslims are demolished without due process, is no longer regional—it’s national. Entire neighborhoods in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have been razed, often under the guise of “unauthorized construction,” despite legal protections and ongoing court cases.
The USCIRF rightly calls out the misuse of UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) and FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act)—both of which have been deployed not against terrorists or financial fraudsters, but against civil society, minority leaders, and rights defenders. In effect, India has created a legal scaffold for selective repression. Journalists, Muslim clerics, Dalit activists, and Christian charity workers have all faced arrests, funding cuts, and character assassinations. The government’s message is clear: dissent equals disloyalty, and minority identity is suspect by default. This has triggered not just domestic silencing, but a chilling effect on global advocacy. Revocations of OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cards, travel bans on Sikh activists abroad, and attacks on foreign NGOs have shown that the Indian state is willing to extend its arm beyond borders to silence critics. It’s soft power weaponized into “sovereign censorship.”
India’s Christian population, though small, is bearing a disproportionate brunt of violence. In Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh, mob attacks on Sunday worshippers, forced reconversions, and police complicity have made religious practice a dangerous act. Churches have been vandalized while state officials look the other way—or worse, justify the attacks as “local disputes.” In Muslim-majority neighborhoods, anti-conversion laws and cow slaughter regulations have become convenient pretexts for harassment.
Despite the mounting evidence, New Delhi continues to gaslight international observers. Whenever confronted with USCIRF or UN reports, Indian officials invoke sovereignty, dismissing criticisms as Western interference. But sovereignty does not mean impunity, and democracy does not give license to persecute. India’s pushback strategy is simple: deny, distract, and deflect. It portrays itself as a victim of “Islamist propaganda,” accuses critics of bias, and hides behind its electoral credentials. But elections are no antidote to authoritarianism—especially when the electoral process itself is driven by religious polarization and voter intimidation. Perhaps the most damning aspect of the USCIRF report is its indirect rebuke of U.S. foreign policy. Despite consistent recommendations to label India as a CPC and impose targeted sanctions on violators of religious freedom, the U.S. State Department has stopped short. Realpolitik and Indo-Pacific calculations have created a diplomatic double standard.
India is not above scrutiny. Its constitution promises secularism, religious freedom, and equality before the law. But these ideals are being hollowed out by a majoritarian state machinery that rewards bigotry and punishes dissent. If international norms on religious freedom mean anything, India must no longer be the exception to the rule. The call for CPC designation and sanctions must be taken seriously—not to alienate India, but to remind it of the democratic values it claims to uphold. At the very least, the U.S. should make religious freedom a core part of its strategic dialogue with India, not a footnote. Silence is complicity, and delayed accountability only deepens the damage.
The 2025 USCIRF report is not just a document—it’s an alarm bell. If India’s slide into religious authoritarianism continues, it risks not only its global reputation but its own social fabric. The idea of India—plural, secular, and inclusive—is being replaced by a Hindutva-driven state project. It is time for the world—and for India’s own citizens—to ask: how many more mosques must fall, how many more voices must be silenced, before we call it what it is?
