The head of the US religious freedom panel, Dr Asif Mahmood, said that he was open to having a sit-down with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, just days after calling for sanctions on the organisation.
Mahmood said that the goal of the USCIRF wasn’t to “go and hurt anybody” but to “do good for the people who are repressed in that country and society”.
“Religious freedom conditions in India continue to deteriorate as violence and incitement are frequently used to target religious minority communities.
We urge the US government to consider targeted sanctions against RSS members and Indian officials complicit in religious freedom violations, including revoking the visa issued to Mohan Bhagwat and making him ineligible for future entry into the United States,” USCIRF Chair Dr Asif Mahmood had said.
USCIRF had earlier expressed concern over RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s visit to the United States and called on the federal government to revoke his visa. In a statement earlier this week, the panel called on the US government to consider sanctions against RSS members and Indian officials “complicit in religious freedom violations.
