USCIRF calls for sanctions against RSS ahead of Mohan Bhagwat’s US visit
Urges Trump administration to shun high-level meetings with Sangh leaders
Washington : The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has called on the US government to impose targeted sanctions against members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and refrain from holding high-level meetings with its leaders.
According to Kashmir Media Service, ahead of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s scheduled visit to the United States for the ‘Universal Oneness Celebrations’ organized by the American the Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD) in New York on August 29, the US advisory body on religious freedom urged the Trump administration to deny RSS leaders diplomatic courtesies or high-level meetings.
USCIRF chair Asif Mahmood said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a member of the RSS, an umbrella organization whose affiliated groups have perpetrated attacks on religious minorities in India. He said the RSS and organizations associated with it have contributed to attacks and discrimination against religious minorities, including Muslims and Christians.
USCIRF Commissioner Gene Mills said, “RSS leaders, even when affiliated with the Indian gov’t, should not be honored with high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies instead the US should focus on imposing sanctions on RSS members found responsible for religious-freedom violations.”
In a series of posts on X, USCIRF shared the remarks by Mahmood and Mills.
RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat’s tour is expected to cover the US, Canada and the UK from August 25.
The latest criticism follows USCIRF’s 2026 annual report, released in March, which criticized India for violations of religious freedom and recommended that the US designate India as a “Country of Particular Concern”. The report also recommended targeted sanctions against entities including the RSS and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), including asset freezes and entry restrictions.
