![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ahead-of-Bhagwats-visit-US-religious-freedom-body-seeks-sanctions-against-RSS.jpg\" "\\"Ahead")
\nRSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. (File photo)<\/p>\n
\nRSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. (File photo)<\/p>\n
\t<\/p>\n \t<\/a> \t<\/a> \t<\/a> \t<\/a> \t<\/a> \t<\/a> <\/a> \t\t\t \t<\/a><\/p>\n WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Officials of a US advisory body on religious freedom have called for sanctions against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and asked the US government not to extend diplomatic courtesies to its leaders or have high-level meetings with them.<\/p>\n US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) chair Asif Mahmood said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a member of the RSS, which he described as an \u201cumbrella organization whose sub-groups have perpetrated attacks on religious minorities\u201d.<\/p>\n Mahmood\u2019s remarks came weeks ahead of RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat\u2019s visit to the US to participate in the \u2018Universal Oneness Celebrations\u2019 organized by the American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD) in New York on August 29.<\/p>\n USCIRF Commissioner Gene Mills said RSS leaders, even when affiliated with the Indian government, should not be honored with high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies. Advocacy group Hindus for Human Rights said Bhagwat\u2019s visit cannot be separated from the RSS network\u2019s violence against Muslims and Christians.<\/p>\n \u201cA celebration of \u2018oneness\u2019 cannot conceal the politics of religious supremacy,\u201d the advocacy group said in a post on X.<\/p>\n In March, the USCIRF annual report criticized India for alleged violations of religious freedom and backed \u201ctargeted sanctions\u201d on individuals and entities such as the RSS and Research and Analysis Wing, holding them responsible for the matter.<\/p>\n In its recommendation, the USCIRF also called for designating India as a \u201ccountry of particular concern\u201d or CPC, for engaging in and \u201ctolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations, as defined by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA)\u201d.<\/p>\n India rejected the USCIRF report, saying that the organization has persistently presented a \u201cdistorted and selective\u201d picture of the country that relies on \u201cquestionable sources and ideological narratives\u201d.<\/p>\n External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement in March that the USCIRF should be designated as an \u201centity of concern\u201d, adding that its \u201cpersistent\u201d attempts to cast aspersions on the country\u2019s vibrant multicultural society reflect a \u201cdeliberate\u201d agenda rather than a genuine concern for religious freedom.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have no expectation that the USCIRF will engage with the reality of India\u2019s pluralistic framework or acknowledge the harmonious coexistence of its diverse communities,\u201d Jaiswal said.<\/p>\n In another statement earlier in March, Jaiswal said instead of persisting with \u201cselective criticism\u201d of India, the USCIRF should reflect on \u201cdisturbing 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\u201d.<\/p>\n 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 recommendations. \t<\/p>\n \t<\/a> \t<\/a> \t<\/a> \t<\/a> \t<\/a> \t<\/a> <\/a> \t\t\t \t<\/a><\/p>\n \t
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\u201cInstead, the USG (US Government) should focus on imposing sanctions on RSS members found responsible for FoRB (freedom of religious belief) violations,\u201d Mills said.<\/p>\n
(Source: PTI)<\/p>\n
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