US panel seeks RSS sanctions ahead of Bhagwat visit

Meanwhile, the Economic Times daily newspaper is available online now.

Key points

• The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) chair Asif Mahmood remarked Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a member of the RSS.
• USCIRF sanctions against RSSMohan Bhagwat US visitRashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh controversiesUSCIRF report on Indiareligious freedom violations IndiaRSS attacks on religious minoritiesIndia US diplomatic relations.
• A US advisory body pressed sanctions against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
• "Instead, the USG (US Government) should focus on imposing sanctions on RSS members found responsible for FoRB (freedom of religious belief) violations, " Mills remarked.
• Power shift, a déjà vu: Air India could be new CEO's toughest flight yet.

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

US religious freedom body seeks sanctions against RSS, no high-level meetings with its leaders. By PTILast Updated: Aug 20, 2026, 06: 41: 00 AM IST.

In practice, a US advisory body pressed sanctions against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Authorities asked the US administration to avoid high-level meetings with RSS leaders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a member of the RSS organization. RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat intends to visit the United States shortly. India rejected the US commission's report as selective and distorted.

Washington: Authorities of a US 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. The US 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. Mahmood's remarks came weeks ahead of RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat's visit to the US to participate in the'Universal Oneness Celebrations' organised by the American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD) in New York on August 29.

'Nathuram Godse was indeed an RSS member': Pawan Khera notes 'Savarkar's grand-nephew informed court' USCIRF Commissioner Gene Mills noted RSS leaders, even when affiliated with the Indian administration, should not be honoured with high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies. Live Events.

"Instead, the USG (US Government) should focus on imposing sanctions on RSS members found responsible for FoRB (freedom of religious belief) violations, " Mills remarked. USCIRF posted the remarks by Mahmood and 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 US, " Mahmood stated. Advocacy group Hindus for Human Rights remarked 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 US, selective targeting of India, and growing intolerance and intimidation of members of the Indian diaspora in the US, which merit serious attention". Add Now!

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For now, US panel seeks RSS sanctions ahead of Bhagwat visit remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.