Officials of a U.S. advisory body on religious freedom have called for sanctions against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and asked the American government not to extend diplomatic courtesies to its leaders or have high-level meetings with them.
The U.S.
Commission on International Religious Freedom (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 on religious minorities.
Earlier reporting noted: In a statement released on X, members of the USCIRF stated that the US government should focus on imposing sanctions on RSS members found guilty of violating religious freedoms. “Instead, the USG (U.S. Government) should focus on imposing sanctions on RSS members found responsible for FoRB (freedom of religious belief) violations,” Mr. “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 U.S.,” Mr. Bhagwat’s visit cannot be separated from the RSS network’s violence against Muslims and Christians. Its members are appointed by the President and top lawmakers although the organisation states that it functions independently of the US government. Instead, the USG should focus on imposing sanctions on RSS members found responsible for FoRB (Freedom of Religious Belief) violations,” added USCIRF member Gene Mills.
Now the RSS leader, Mohan Bhagwat, plans to visit the US,” said Asif Mahmood, the chair of USCIRF, which is an agency of the American legislative branch created in 1998.
USCIRF Commissioner Gene Mills said RSS leaders, even when affiliated with the Indian government, should not be honoured with high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies. Mills said. Mahmood said. Advocacy group Hindus for Human Rights said Mr. “A celebration of “oneness” cannot conceal the politics of religious supremacy,” the advocacy group said in a post on X. External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal, in a statement on March 16, said that instead of persisting with “selective criticism” of India, the USCIRF should reflect on “disturbing incidents of vandalism and attacks on Hindu temples in the U.S., selective targeting of India, and growing intolerance and intimidation of members of the Indian diaspora in the US, which merit serious attention”.
Earlier reporting noted: “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. Earlier reporting noted: “RSS leaders, even when affiliated with the Indian government, should not be honored with high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies.
