US religious freedom panel calls for sanctions against India's RSS

A U.S. government body focused on religious freedom has voiced significant concerns regarding the visit of Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of the Hindu nationalist group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), to the United States. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has formally requested that the U.S. government consider imposing targeted sanctions on RSS members and Indian officials allegedly involved in religious freedom violations.

Asif Mahmood, the chair of USCIRF, specifically called for the revocation of Mohan Bhagwat's visa. The RSS, which serves as the ideological foundation for India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has previously stated its foreign visits aim to counter perceptions of it being a paramilitary organization involved in attacks against minority groups. Bhagwat is scheduled to speak at an event in New York City.

USCIRF, a bipartisan commission, monitors global religious freedom and provides policy recommendations, though these are not legally binding. The U.S. government has not consistently followed past recommendations for sanctions. India's Ministry of External Affairs has strongly refuted USCIRF's claims, characterizing the commission as exhibiting bias against India.

Human rights organizations and U.N. reports indicate a rise in abuses against Indian minorities in recent years. These concerns are often linked to increased hate speech, controversial citizenship laws, demolition of minority-owned properties, the revocation of Muslim-majority Kashmir's autonomy, and anti-conversion legislation. The Indian government, led by the BJP, denies engaging in discriminatory practices, asserting that its policies, including social welfare programs, benefit all communities equally.

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We urge the U.S. government to consider targeted sanctions against RSS members and Indian officials complicit in religious freedom violations, including revoking the visa issued to Mohan Bhagwat.