CHANDIGARH: The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has claimed that two gurdwaras in Punjab were targeted in vigilante attacks and urged the US government to press New Delhi to hold those responsible for the violence accountable. However, the commission's claims appear to be at odds with findings of the Punjab Police investigation, which found that in one case, the head sewadar of a gurdwara had allegedly orchestrated the attack to secure police protection for himself rather than as an act of religiously motivated vigilantism. The motive behind the second incident remains unclear.
In separate statements, USCIRF Commissioners David Anderson and Joe Grogan urged the US government to press India to protect religious minorities and ensure accountability for attacks on places of worship.
USCIRF Commissioner David Anderson, in a social media post, claimed, without providing further details, that "over the last several weeks, Sikh gurdwaras in India have been targeted with vigilante attacks, including attempts to harm religious leaders".
Anderson said the US should link security assistance to the Indian government's response to violence that prevents people from exercising their freedom of religion or belief (FoRB).
In another post, USCIRF Commissioner Joe Grogan wrote, "Attacks on houses of worship in India, including churches, gurdwaras and mosques, undermine FoRB rights enshrined in international law. The US government should continue to press the Indian government to hold perpetrators of such violence accountable and protect places of worship."
On the intervening night of October 26 and 27, a masked man fired two shots at the main gate of Gurdwara Sri Gopalsar Sahib in Gagra village near Jagraon and left behind a threatening letter targeting its head sewadar, Baba Amarjit Singh, and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Gurinder Singh Rumi.
The following day, two masked men entered Gurdwara Manji Sahib in Rajoana Kalan village and opened fire at the room of its head sewadar, Baldev Singh. He escaped unharmed as he was in an attached bathroom at the time of the incident.
The police initially investigated a possible connection between the two incidents but later said they were unrelated.
On October 31, the local police arrested Sandeep Singh, an alleged associate of Baba Amarjit Singh. The police claimed that Amarjit Singh had orchestrated the shooting to create grounds for seeking police protection. He had allegedly instructed Sandeep Singh to fire at the gurdwara and leave behind a threatening letter.
In the second incident, Ludhiana Police arrested a suspected shooter, Raj Singh alias Raju, a history-sheeter from Noorpur Machhiwara village in Ferozepur district. According to the police, seven FIRs had been registered against him, including four cases related to drug peddling and three involving extortion and other offences.
However, Raj Singh died in police custody hours after his arrest on November 3. He reportedly collapsed at Sudhar police station and was initially rushed to a civil hospital. He was later referred to Global Hospital, where he died during treatment.
A magisterial inquiry was ordered into his death after his family alleged that he had died due to torture in police custody. The police, however, maintained that he had died because of pre-existing health conditions.
The USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan US government commission established by Congress to monitor religious freedom worldwide and make policy recommendations to the US President, Secretary of State and Congress. Its recommendations do not automatically translate into US government policy.
In its 2026 annual report, the commission recommended that the US State Department designate India as a "Country of Particular Concern" (CPC), a classification under the International Religious Freedom Act for governments involved in particularly severe violations of religious freedom.
