India
oi-Prakash KL
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has called for sanctions against RSS ahead of Chief Mohan Bhagwat’s visit to the United States.
It has urged the US administration not to extend high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies to the RSS leaders.
The USCIRF recommended US sanctions against the RSS and avoiding high-level meetings for leaders like Mohan Bhagwat during his upcoming August US visit, citing alleged religious minority attacks.
Sharing a statement by USCIRF Chair and Commissioner Asif Mahmood, the commission said, “India’s PM Modi is a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), an Indian umbrella organization whose sub-groups have perpetrated attacks on religious minorities, incl. Christians & Muslims. Now the RSS leader, Mohan Bhagwat, plans to visit the U.S.”
It also quoted Commissioner Gene Mills as saying, “RSS leaders, even when affiliated with the Indian gov’t, should not be honored with high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies. Instead, the USG should focus on imposing sanctions on RSS members found responsible for FoRB violations.”
Bhagwat will begin his visit to Washington on August 25 as part of the RSS’s centenary-year outreach programme. He is also likely to address a large gathering in New York on August 29. The American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue is organising the event, known as the “Universal Oneness Celebration”.
The USCIRF released an annual report criticising India over alleged religious freedom violations in March. The body recommended “targeted sanctions” against entities such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW).
However, India rejected the findings, calling the report a “distorted and selective” portrayal rooted in “questionable sources and ideological narratives.”
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal urged the USCIRF to drop its “selective criticism” and instead focus on pressing issues within the United States, citing vandalism at Hindu temples, the targeting of India, and growing intimidation of the Indian diaspora.
Meanwhile, advocacy group Hindus for Human Rights criticised Bhagwat’s visit, saying it could not be separated from the RSS network’s violence against Muslims and Christians. “A celebration of ‘oneness’ cannot conceal the politics of religious supremacy,” the group stated in a social media post.
