India Working Group of International Religious Freedom Roundtable Urges Congress to Confront Modi on Religious Persecution in India

India Working Group of International Religious Freedom Roundtable Urges Congress to Confront Modi on Religious Persecution in India

Washington, D.C. – As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Washington for high-level meetings, the India Working Group is calling on U.S. congressional leaders to take urgent action on behalf of India’s persecuted religious minorities. Modi’s visit marks his first meeting with President Trump since January 2025, and it presents a critical moment for U.S. lawmakers to address the escalating human rights crisis in India.

The India Working Group, a coalition of faith-based, human rights, and advocacy organizations, has distributed the National Council of Churches (NCC) resolution on India’s religious persecution to all members of Congress ahead of Modi’s visit. This resolution, adopted by one of the largest Christian coalitions in the U.S., highlights how financial and ideological support from within the United States is fueling the rise of Hindutva-aligned violence against minorities in India.

Reverend Peter Cook, Co-Chair of the India Working Group and Executive Director of the New York State Council of Churches, underscored the moral imperative: ““The National Council of Churches has spoken clearly on this issue: people of faith cannot remain silent while India’s religious minorities face persecution. We are grateful to NCC for their resolution and commend it. It strengthens our work as it calls on churches across the country to raise awareness of the alarming influence of U.S.-based funding in enabling Hindutva violence. We are urging Congress to take decisive action to ensure that American resources are not complicit in oppression.”

Kavneet Singh, CoChair and Chief Resource and Advocacy Officer at American Sikh Council:  “The U.S. must not turn a blind eye to the growing religious persecution in India. As people of faith, we must call out the funding streams and networks that enable this violence. Prime Minister Modi’s government is systematically erasing the rights and dignity of Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, and Dalits. If we remain silent, we are complicit.”

A State-Sanctioned Assault on Religious Minorities

India’s ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and its ideological parent organization, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), are aggressively advancing Hindutva, an extremist and exclusionary nationalist ideology. Under Modi’s leadership, India is witnessing:

Mob lynchings, forced demolitions, and disenfranchisement of Muslims.

Anti-conversion laws weaponized against Christians and other religious groups.

Targeted attacks on Dalits and lower-caste communities, seeking to restore caste-based oppression. Destruction of places of worship under the pretext of removing “illegal structures.”

Hena Zuberi, Co-Chair of the India Working Group and Director of Justice For All, emphasized the urgency of U.S. engagement: “Modi’s visit should not be a public relations victory for his government—it must be a moment of reckoning. We are calling on Congress to take a stand. India’s minorities are under attack, and Washington cannot continue ‘business as usual’ with a leader who enables this persecution.”

A Call to Action for U.S. Policymakers

The India Working Group is urging members of Congress to engage Modi’s administration on these grave human rights violations and to:

• Support a U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) designation of India as a “Country of Particular Concern (CPC).”
• Hold hearings on the influence of U.S.-based funding in supporting Hindutva extremist groups.
• Demand that human rights and religious freedom be central to U.S.-India diplomatic engagements.

Zahir Adil, lead of the Save India From Fascism campaign at Justice For All, reinforced the stakes:

“In light of Modi’s visit and his meeting with President Trump, now is the time for Congress to act. India is not a democracy for all its people—it is becoming a Hindu majoritarian state. U.S. leaders must stand against this tide of authoritarianism before it is too late.”

As the U.S. and India strengthen diplomatic ties, the India Working Group urges Congress to ensure that this relationship is built on shared values of democracy, religious freedom, and human rights—not silence in the face of persecution.

About the India Working Group

The India Working Group is a coalition of faith-based, human rights, and advocacy organizations and impacted communities working to address the growing religious persecution and democratic backsliding in India.