U.S. religious freedom body seeks sanctions against RSS, no high-level meetings with its leaders

USCIRF seeks sanctions against RSS, no high-level meetings with its leaders The remarks of the religious freedom body's chief came weeks ahead of RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat's visit to the U.S.

Key points

• Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) chair Asif Mahmood remarked Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a member of the RSS.
• Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat salutes during the flag-hoisting ceremony at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur Photo Credit: ANI.
• India's PM Modi is a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), an Indian umbrella organisation whose sub-groups have perpetrated attacks on religious minorities, incl.
• Mahmood's remarks came weeks ahead of RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat's visit to the U.S.
• USCIRF Commissioner Gene Mills remarked RSS leaders, even when affiliated with the Indian administration, should not be honoured with high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies.

Authorities of a U.S. Advisory body on religious freedom have called on sanctions against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and asked the American administration not to extend diplomatic courtesies to its leaders or have high-level meetings with them.

Notably, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) chair Asif Mahmood remarked Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a member of the RSS. It he described as an umbrella organisation whose sub-groups have perpetrated attacks on religious minorities.

Mr. Mahmood's remarks came weeks ahead of RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat's visit to the U.S. To participate in the 'Universal Oneness Celebrations' organised by the American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD) in New York on August 29.

USCIRF Commissioner Gene Mills remarked RSS leaders, even when affiliated with the Indian administration, should not be honoured with high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies. RSS: Mapping the saffron network shaping India's politics.

"Instead, the USG (U.S. Administration) should focus on imposing sanctions on RSS members identified responsible for FoRB (freedom of religious belief) violations, " Mr. Mills remarked.

USCIRF posted the remarks by Mr. Mahmood and Mr. Mills on its X account.

"India's PM Modi is a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), an Indian umbrella organisation whose sub-groups have perpetrated attacks on religious minorities, incl. Christians & Muslims. Now the RSS leader, Mohan Bhagwat, intends to visit the U.S., " Mr. Mahmood remarked.

Advocacy group Hindus for Human Rights remarked Mr. Bhagwat's visit cannot be separated from the RSS network's violence against Muslims and Christians.

"A celebration of "oneness" cannot conceal the politics of religious supremacy, " the advocacy group remarked in a post on X.

In March, the USCIRF annual report criticised India for alleged violations of religious freedom and backed "targeted sanctions" on individuals and entities such as the RSS and Research and Analysis Wing, holding them responsible for the matter.

India rejected the USCIRF report, saying that the organisation has persistently presented a "distorted and selective" picture of the country that relies on "questionable sources and ideological narratives".

External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal, in an official note on March 16, remarked that instead of persisting with "selective criticism" of India, the USCIRF should reflect on "disturbing incidents of vandalism and attacks on Hindu temples in the U.S., selective targeting of India, and growing intolerance and intimidation of members of the Indian diaspora in the US, which merit serious attention".

For now, U.S. Religious freedom body seeks sanctions against RSS, no high-level meetings with remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.