New Delhi, March 21 (NationPress) A collective of 275 distinguished intellectuals and academics, comprising retired Supreme Court judges, former bureaucrats, and military veterans, issued a statement on Saturday condemning the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for its inaccurate report regarding India.

“We, the undersigned, wish to draw your attention to a deeply troubling and utterly misguided report assembled by the United States Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF),” stated an open letter from the concerned scholars.

“In particular, the methodology for evaluating the credibility and impartiality of reports from organizations like the USCIRF must consider the enduring demographic trends within the Indian subcontinent, employing an approach that allows for a more objective and longitudinal assessment of religious freedom, rather than relying on selective or sporadic narratives,” the letter continued.

This letter was released in close proximity to USCIRF's recommendation for sanctions against India's foreign intelligence agency, the Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW), and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), once again categorizing India as a 'Country of Particular Concern.'

Among those who supported this initiative were former Supreme Court judge and NGT Chairman Adarsh Kumar Goel; former Kerala DGP P Chandrasekharan; and former ambassadors Bhaswati Mukherjee and Shyamala B. Cowsik.

Condemning the report's proposals to freeze assets and limit the mobility of Indian citizens, the signatories provided Census data showcasing demographic trends in the nation.

According to official figures cited in the letter, the Muslim population in India constituted 9.8 percent in 1951, rising to 14.2 percent by 2011; the Christian population remained static at 2.3 percent from 1951 to 2011, while the Sikh community decreased slightly from 1.79 percent in 1951 to 1.72 percent in 2011.

“This data, derived from official census records, reflects a general pattern of demographic growth or stability among principal minority communities over more than sixty years of independent constitutional governance in India,” emphasized the letter.

The correspondence stated, “Bharat is the largest democracy in the world. With a robust, time-tested judicial system, dynamic democratic institutions, and Parliamentary oversight, there is minimal opportunity for individuals or organizations to go unpunished for infringing upon someone’s religious rights.”

“While religious freedom is essential and valued in a globalized society, it must be exercised with intellectual rigor, fairness, and respect for all. Reports that selectively use evidence compromise their own credibility and underscore the necessity to further the true cause of religious harmony and human rights,” the letter asserted.

The group denounced USCIRF's recommendations to freeze assets, limit the movement of Indian citizens, and impose restrictions on those connected to the RSS as highly motivated and indicative of intellectual bankruptcy and flawed conclusions.

“All six commissioners of USCIRF are appointed by the US Government and financed by American taxpayers through Congress. We urge the US Government to conduct a thorough background check on all contributors to this report in USCIRF. This will serve as an eye-opener for US taxpayers, whose funds are being utilized by USCIRF to produce deeply biased and unsustainable reports that promote the hidden agendas of certain anti-India vested interests, thereby undermining their goodwill with the people of Bharat,” concluded the letter, which was endorsed by former IAS officials M. Madan Gopal, O.P. Pathak, and C.S. Talwar, among others.