US panel recommends sanctions against India’s R&AW over alleged Khalistani assassination plots; will it really happen?

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom on Tuesday recommended sanctions against the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) over its alleged involvements in assassination plots concerning Sikh separatists.

The agency also said that minorities in India are facing deteriorating treatment, according to a Reuters report.

The panel recommended the US government designate India as a “country of particular concern” for religious freedom violations and “impose targeted sanctions” against R&AW and some of its officials.

The Indian embassy did not comment on the development immediately, as per the Reuters report.

US agency demands sanctions on India

Countries like Canada have since 2023 accused India of allegedly targeting Sikh separatists in the US and Canada. This has caused a crack in India-US ties, with Washington charging an ex-Indian intelligence officer Vikash Yadav in a foiled US plot.

In India, Sikh separatists who demand a separate country “Khalistan”, have been viewed as security threats.

However, New Delhi has repeatedly denied involvement in plots against Khalistanis.

Will US impose sanctions on India and RAW?

Analysts quoted by Reuters have said that Washington has long seen New Delhi as a counter to China's rising influence in Asia and elsewhere, and, hence, overlooked human rights issues in India.

In such a scenario, it is unlikely that the US government will sanction India's Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) spy service, as the panel's recommendations are not binding.

The commission is a bipartisan US government advisory body that monitors religious freedom abroad and makes policy recommendations.

US panel accuses India of minority mistreatment

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom also accused India of deteriorating treatment towards its minorities.

“In 2024, religious freedom conditions in India continued to deteriorate as attacks and discrimination against religious minorities continued to rise,” Reuters quoted the panel as saying in a statement on Tuesday.

It also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP “propagated hateful rhetoric and disinformation against Muslims and other religious minorities” during last year's election campaign.