US religious freedom body calls for sanctions against RSS, opposes high-level meetings

Mangalore Today News Network

Washington, Aug 20, 2026: Officials of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) have called for sanctions against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and urged the US government not to extend diplomatic courtesies or hold high-level meetings with its leaders.

USCIRF Chair Asif Mahmood alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a member of the RSS, which he described as an umbrella organisation whose affiliated groups have been involved in attacks against religious minorities.

Mahmood made the remarks ahead of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s planned visit to the US to attend the ‘Universal Oneness Celebrations’ organised by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD) in New York on August 29.

USCIRF Commissioner Gene Mills said RSS leaders, including those associated with the Indian government, should not receive high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies from the US.

Instead, Mills urged the US government to impose sanctions on RSS members found responsible for violations of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB).

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

Mahmood said Bhagwat’s planned visit comes in the context of allegations against RSS-affiliated groups over attacks on religious minorities, including Christians and Muslims.

Advocacy group Hindus for Human Rights also criticised Bhagwat’s visit, arguing that it could not be separated from allegations of violence against Muslims and Christians linked to the wider RSS network.

In March, the USCIRF’s annual report criticised India over alleged religious freedom violations and recommended “targeted sanctions” against individuals and entities, including the RSS and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), that it held responsible.

India rejected the report, accusing the USCIRF of presenting a “distorted and selective” picture of the country based on “questionable sources and ideological narratives”.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in a statement on March 16, said the USCIRF should move beyond “selective criticism” of India and pay attention to incidents of vandalism and attacks on Hindu temples in the US, what he described as the selective targeting of India, and growing intolerance and intimidation faced by members of the Indian diaspora in the US.