US religious freedom panel flags attacks on Sikh gurdwaras in India, urges Washington to press New Delhi

Millat Times Desk

06 November 2026 (Publish: 06:53 AM IST)

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The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has expressed concern over alleged vigilante attacks targeting Sikh gurdwaras in India, including attempts to harm religious leaders, and called on Washington to link security assistance to the Indian government’s response to such violence.

In separate statements, USCIRF Commissioners Anderson and Joe Grogan urged the US government to press India to protect religious minorities and ensure accountability for attacks on places of worship.

“Over the last several weeks, Sikh gurdwaras in India have been targeted with vigilante attacks, including attempts to harm religious leaders,” Anderson said.

He called on the US government to link security assistance to India’s response to violence that prevents people from exercising their freedom of religion or belief.

Grogan said attacks on places of worship, including churches, gurdwaras and mosques, undermined religious freedom rights recognised under international law.

“The US government should continue to press the Indian government to hold perpetrators of such violence accountable and protect places of worship,” he said.

The statements come amid a series of firing incidents at Sikh shrines in Punjab’s Ludhiana district in late October.

On October 27, a masked man fired shots at Gurdwara Sri Gopalsar Sahib in Gagra village near Jagraon and left behind a threatening letter. The following day, two masked men entered Gurdwara Manji Sahib in Rajoana Kalan village and opened fire at the room of its head sewadar, Baldev Singh, who escaped unharmed.

Police initially investigated a possible connection between the two incidents but later said they were unrelated.

In the Gagra incident, police alleged that the gurdwara’s chief sewadar, Baba Amarjit Singh, had orchestrated the shooting to secure police protection. An aide was arrested in connection with the case, while the chief sewadar was booked for allegedly conspiring to stage the attack.

In the Rajoana Kalan case, police arrested Raj Singh, alias Raju, on November 2, alleging that the firing was intended to intimidate and blackmail the head sewadar. Singh died in police custody hours after his arrest. His family alleged that he had been tortured, while police said he had pre-existing health conditions. A magisterial inquiry was ordered into his death.

The USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan US government commission established by Congress to monitor religious freedom worldwide and make policy recommendations to the US president, secretary of state and Congress. Its recommendations do not automatically translate into US government policy.

In its 2026 annual report, the commission recommended that the US State Department designate India a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC), a classification under the International Religious Freedom Act for governments involved in particularly severe violations of religious freedom.

The commission also recommended targeted sanctions against individuals and entities it holds responsible for serious violations, and called for linking US security assistance and bilateral trade policies with improvements in religious freedom in India.

India has previously rejected USCIRF assessments of religious freedom in the country, describing them as biased and based on inaccurate information.