US Act to Prevent Discrimination Against Sikhs; UK Report Flags Rising Anti-Sikh Sentiment

US Congressman David Valadao of California’s 22^nd Congressional District and Congressman Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey have jointly introduced the Sikh American Anti-Discrimination Act, a Bill that would establish a dedicated Department of Justice (DOJ) Task Force on Anti-Sikh Discrimination. The task force would be mandated to work in collaboration with the Sikh community and focus on prevention, documentation, and accountability. On 24 Jan, California Congresswoman Zoe Lofgen also added herself as a co-sponsor for the Bill. Meanwhile in the UK, 49% of British Sikhs are worried about rising anti-Sikh sentiment, says the British Sikh Report, 2026. The report is based on the results of a survey of 1,500 Sikhs throughout the country. A recurring theme in the report is that Sikhs are ‘routinely misrecognized’ and misidentified as Muslim, which means Sikh men experience racism not for who they are, but for what they are perceived to represent within wider cultural anxieties. The survey indicated that 50% respondents were worried about misinformation or fake news on social media causing panic or hostility. And 54% respondents thought Sikh communities in the UK could be misunderstood or targeted over geopolitical tensions involving India. Concurrently, an international conference focusing on violence against Sikhs in India was held on 16 Jan 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan, bringing together Sikh representatives, academics, legal experts, and civil society members from multiple countries. Facilitated by Sikh Federation International, the conference featured Sikh speakers from the UK and Canada. Parallely, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Early Warning Project 2025 has ranked India fourth—behind Myanmar, Chad and Sudan— amongst 168 countries indicating risk of future mass killings of civilians. Alongside, the Supreme Court of India has dismissed four petitions challenging the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court allowing for trial in sacrilege-related cases from Moga, Faridkot and Bathinda districts, which were transferred to Chandigarh in March 2025. Earlier, the sacrilege cases from Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala villages in Faridkot district were transferred to Chandigarh. The case of firing at Behbal Kalan village in Faridkot district—where two Sikhs were killed during a protest against sacrilege on 14 Oct 2015—was also transferred to Chandigarh (earlier coverage).