The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has once again urged the Biden administration to designate India as a “country of particular concern” under the US Religious Freedom Act. The commission cited alleged targeting of religious minorities overseas by the Indian government. USCIRF stated that recent efforts to silence activists, journalists, and lawyers abroad pose a serious threat to religious freedom. The commission called on the US Department of State to designate India as a Country of Particular Concern due to its systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of freedom of religion or belief. USCIRF Commissioner Stephen Schneck expressed deep concern over the alleged involvement of the Indian government in the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and a plot to kill another Sikh activist, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The Indian government has denied any discrimination in the Hindu-majority country. The issue is sensitive as both India and the Biden administration attempt to strengthen ties in the face of a perceived threat from China. USCIRF has recommended since 2020 that the State Department label India as a country of particular concern under the 1998 US Religious Freedom Act. The act allows for a range of policy responses, but they are not automatic. USCIRF Commissioner David Curry emphasized that India’s extension of domestic repression to target religious minorities from India living abroad “is especially dangerous and cannot be ignored.” India’s foreign ministry dismissed the recommendation as biased and tendentious when it was first issued in 2020.