Officials of a US 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.
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.
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. “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. The USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan US federal government agency. It makes policy recommendations to the US President, Secretary of State, and Congress and tracks the implementation of these recommendations. 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.
The US 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. 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. “Instead, the USG (US Government) should focus on imposing sanctions on RSS members found responsible for FoRB (freedom of religious belief) violations,” Mills said. Now the RSS leader, Mohan Bhagwat, plans to visit the US,” Mahmood said. External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement in March that the USCIRF should be designated as an “entity of concern”, adding that its “persistent” attempts to cast aspersions on the country’s vibrant multicultural society reflect a “deliberate” agenda rather than a genuine concern for religious freedom.
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.
