RSS leaders should not get US diplomatic courtesies, says USCIRF official

Washington: Officials of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) have called for sanctions against members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and urged the US government not to extend diplomatic courtesies or hold high-level meetings with its leaders.

The remarks come ahead of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's planned visit to the US, where he is scheduled to participate in the 'Universal Oneness Celebrations' organised by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD) in New York on August 29.

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 against religious minorities, including Christians and Muslims.

"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 US," Mahmood said in a post shared by USCIRF on X.

USCIRF Commissioner Gene Mills said RSS leaders should not receive high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies from the US government, even when they are affiliated with the Indian government.

"Instead, the USG should focus on imposing sanctions on RSS members found responsible for FoRB violations," Mills said.

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

The comments have also drawn criticism from advocacy group Hindus for Human Rights, which said Bhagwat's visit should be viewed in the context of alleged violence against Muslims and Christians linked to the RSS network.

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

USCIRF had earlier recommended targeted sanctions

The latest remarks follow USCIRF's annual report released in March, which criticised India over alleged religious freedom violations and recommended "targeted sanctions" against individuals and entities it held responsible, including the RSS and Research and Analysis Wing.

India rejected the report, accusing USCIRF of presenting a "distorted and selective" picture of the country based on what it described as "questionable sources and ideological narratives".

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in a statement on March 16, said USCIRF should move away from what India termed "selective criticism" and instead address incidents involving vandalism and attacks on Hindu temples in the US, along with what he described as selective targeting of India and growing intolerance and intimidation of members of the Indian diaspora in the country.

With PTI inputs