US rights panel calls for ban, asset freeze on RSS: Report
Islamabad: The US Commission on International Religious Freedom has recommended a ban on the Hindu extremist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
According to Kashmir Media Service, a Reuters report said the USCIRF has linked the RSS to violence and intolerance against minorities and, in its recommendations, proposed freezing its assets and imposing restrictions on its entry into the United States.
The report said that the RSS has launched a global lobbying campaign to avoid potential sanctions, while under growing scrutiny its leaders have become active in the United States, Britain and Germany. It added that RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale recently held a briefing in Delhi.
As per the report, the RSS has promoted Hindutva ideology and has been associated with violence against minorities in India. It further said the organisation has repeatedly faced criticism over its extremist tendencies, while its ideological influence has expanded under the BJP government.
Reuters also reported that the construction of the Ram Mandir and the abrogation of occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s special status were viewed as key milestones of the RSS agenda.
The news agency added that RSS leaders are attempting to remove the label of religious extremism from the Modi government, while the group, founded in 1925, has also been historically linked to the assassination of Gandhi.
Political analysts said the Modi government is facing increasing international scrutiny over its ideological alignment with the RSS, adding that this association has undermined India’s “Shining India” narrative. They further noted that rising concerns over minority rights and violence are emerging as a major strain in India’s relations with Europe.
