- Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra criticised USCIRF's remarks on Sharjeel Imam.
- He rejected USCIRF's assessment as biased and politically motivated.
- Kwatra defended India's commitment to religious freedom and equal rights.
India's Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Saturday criticised the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) over its remarks on jailed activist Sharjeel Imam. The reaction came after USCIRF described Imam, who was arrested in January 2020 over his alleged role in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), as a Muslim man detained in India for his religious freedom advocacy in a post on X.
Indian Envoy Reacts
Responding to the post, Kwatra rejected the commission's assessment, accusing it of making biased and politically motivated comments about India. He said the body had no authority to judge the constitutional rights of Indian citizens. He also accused the commission of repeatedly making biased, poorly informed and one-sided assessments of India. Kwatra defended India's commitment to religious freedom and equal rights for all faiths, while urging the commission to examine its own prejudices instead of lecturing other countries.
"USCRIF has no locus standi to sit in judgment over the constitutional rights of Indian citizens. Its habitual partisan, ill-informed, and jaundiced assessments cannot diminish India's constitutional commitment to religious freedom and equal rights for all faiths. India flourishes defying the agenda-driven partisan narratives of the USCIRF. Taking the same liberty that USCIRF so readily assumes, a word of advice: introspect on your own prejudices and stop lecturing others," Kwatra wrote on X.
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USCRIF has no locus standi to sit in judgment over the constitutional rights of Indian citizens. Its habitual partisan, ill-informed, and jaundiced assessments cannot diminish India’s constitutional commitment to religious freedom and equal rights for all faiths. India flourishes defying the agenda-driven partisan narratives of the USCIRF. Taking the same liberty that USCIRF so readily assumes, a word of advice: introspect on your own prejudices and stop lecturing others.
— Amb Vinay Mohan Kwatra (@AmbVMKwatra) November 14, 2026
What Did USCIRF Say About Sharjeel Imam?
The USCIRF had described Sharjeel Imam as a Muslim man and student activist detained in India for his religious freedom advocacy. In its post, USCIRF said, "Sharjeel Imam is detained for his religious freedom advocacy." In a detailed statement, the USCIRF stated that Indian authorities had arrested Imam for participating in peaceful protests opposing the religious discriminatory Citizen Amendment Act (CAA) in December 2019 and January 2020.
It noted that authorities had accused him of inciting communal violence through speeches made at the protests. The commission also listed the charges filed against Imam in August 2020 in connection with FIR 59/2020. These include rioting with a deadly weapon, murder, attempted murder, sedition, promoting enmity on religious grounds, unlawful activities, terrorist acts, raising funds for terrorist acts and conspiracy.
The charges were listed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Along with its post, USCIRF included details of Imam's case in its records on religious freedom violations. The commission listed India as the alleged perpetrator and detention as the most recent type of abuse.
What Is USCIRF?
The USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan US government commission established under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. It monitors religious freedom conditions across the world, publishes annual reports and makes recommendations to the US government on matters related to religious freedom.
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