India, March 16 -- India on Monday rejected the annual report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) that urged the US administration to link Washington's security assistance and bilateral trade to improvements in New Delhi's handling of religious freedom.

The USCIRF's report, released earlier this month, criticised India for alleged violations of religious freedom and backed "targeted sanctions" on individuals and entities such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), holding them responsible for the matter.

The Indian government has routinely rejected the annual reports of the USCIRF, an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the US Congress to ...