US religious freedom body calls for sanctions against RSS leaders over alleged violations

PTI, August 20, 2026, Washington: Officials of a US advisory body on religious freedom have called for sanctions against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and asked the American government 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 said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a member of the RSS, which 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.

USCIRF Commissioner Gene Mills said RSS leaders, even when affiliated with the Indian government, should not be honoured with high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies.

Instead, the USG (US Government) should focus on imposing sanctions on RSS members found responsible for FoRB (freedom of religious belief) violations, Mills said.

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, plans to visit the US," Mahmood said.

Advocacy group Hindus for Human Rights said 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 said 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.

In its recommendation, the USCIRF also called for designating India as a country of particular concern or CPC, for engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations, as defined by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).

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 said in a statement in March that the USCIRF should be designated as an entity of concern, adding that its "persistent" attempts to cast aspersions on the country's vibrant multicultural society reflect a "deliberate" agenda rather than a genuine concern for religious freedom.

"We have no expectation that the USCIRF will engage with the reality of India's pluralistic framework or acknowledge the harmonious coexistence of its diverse communities," Jaiswal said.

In another statement earlier in March, Jaiswal said 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.

The USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan US federal government agency. It makes policy recommendations to the US President, Secretary of State, and Congress and tracks the implementation of these recommendation