Weeks ahead of RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat's visit to the United States, officials of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) have called on the US government not to extend diplomatic courtesies or hold high-level meetings with leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Weeks ahead of RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat's visit to the United States, officials of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) have called on the US government not to extend diplomatic courtesies or hold high-level meetings with leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Weeks ahead of RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat's visit to the United States, officials of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) have called on the US government not to extend diplomatic courtesies or hold high-level meetings with leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Weeks ahead of RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat's visit to the United States, officials of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) have called on the US government not to extend diplomatic courtesies or hold high-level meetings with leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

USCIRF officials have also demanded sanctions against RSS members found responsible for violations of freedom of religion or belief.

The remarks come ahead of the Sarsanghchalak’s scheduled visit to the US to participate in the 'Universal Oneness Celebrations', organised by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD) in New York on August 29.

Explaining why the forum is opposed to the visit, USCIRF chair Asif Mahmood described the RSS as an umbrella organisation whose sub-groups, he alleged, have carried out attacks against religious minorities, including Muslims and Christians.

"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.

USCIRF Commissioner Gene Mills went a step further, arguing that RSS leaders should not receive high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies in the US, even when they are affiliated with the Indian government.

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

The outfit has been a staunch critic of the RSS. In its annual report released in March, the commission criticised India over alleged religious freedom violations and supported "targeted sanctions" against individuals and entities it held responsible. These included the RSS and the Research and Analysis Wing.

Advocacy group Hindus for Human Rights has also criticised Bhagwat's upcoming visit, arguing that it cannot be separated from what it described as violence by the RSS network against Muslims and Christians.

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

India, however, has strongly rejected USCIRF's assessment of religious freedom in the country.

Responding to its annual report in March, the external affairs ministry had accused the commission of persistently presenting a "distorted and selective" picture of India based on "questionable sources and ideological narratives".

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also turned the criticism towards religious intolerance in the United States.

He said that rather than engaging in "selective criticism" of India, USCIRF should examine incidents of vandalism and attacks on Hindu temples in the US, the selective targeting of India, and what he described as growing intolerance and intimidation faced by members of the Indian diaspora.

TAGS