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In an odd and disturbing event during the climbing diplomatic tension, a man was reportedly assaulting a college student in India soon after the report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) under the 2026 annual report. The US bipartisan panel suggested selective sanctions, such as asset freezes and a ban of entry, against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the external intelligence agency of India, Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), due to the alleged allegiance and leniency of serious religious freedom infractions on minorities.

It also noted in the report that India should be declared a Country of Particular Concern and that US cooperation in the future be tied to the conditions in India in that regard. The findings were quickly dismissed by the Ministry of External Affairs of India as motivated and biased and painting a distorted picture, and the commission itself was accused of being selective in its targeting and not taking into consideration the Indian pluralistic ethos.

The attack, allegedly instigated by the hot-blooded discussions related to the report, has given rise to the issue of increasing communal tensions and restrictions on the freedom of speech after the foreign scrutiny. Policymakers are examining the attack since the scandal is eliciting polar reactions in both social media and political spheres.