The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Wednesday, August 26, called on the US government to impose stricter and targeted sanctions against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and revoke Mohan Bhagwat’s visa.
The commission said it was “deeply concerned” about Bhagwat’s visit to the United States in light of the heightened attacks perpetrated by RSS and its subgroups against religious minorities, including Christians, Dalits, Muslims, and Sikhs.
Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has implemented policies closely aligned with the RSS’ Hindutva ideology, which are “inherently discriminatory against religious minority communities”, the USCIRF said. The commission also accused the Modi government of engaging in transnational repression targeting religious minorities outside India, including “assassination and assassination attempts on members of Sikh communities in North America”.
‘Religious freedom in India deteriorating’
USCIRF Chair Asif Mahmood said that religious freedom in India is deteriorating as violence and incitement are simultaneously used to target minority groups. He urged the US government to consider imposing targeted sanctions against not only RSS members but Indian officials complicit in religious freedom violations. Mahmood also called on the government to revoke Bhagwat’s visa and make him “ineligible for future entry into the United States.”
The independent US Commission claimed that Indian officials under the BJP-led government failed to prevent, investigate, or punish glaring instances of mob violence against Muslims and Christians, referring to cow vigilante groups. It said that such violence is often motivated by the enforcement of “strict” anti-conversion laws “targeting Christians and other religious minorities.”
The Commission highlighted the forceful expulsion of Muslim citizens in Assam under the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). It noted that the pending amendments to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) Bill have diminished space for NGOs and community groups, stating that the proposed law threatens the ability of faith-based organisations to continue their operations in the country peacefully.
“The US government has an opportunity to hold India accountable and signal that the United States stands for religious freedom for the people of India,” said Vice Chair Cece Heil. “Without this accountability, religious freedom will only deteriorate further, as vigilante mobs continue to attack religious minorities and their houses of worship under the guise of enforcing anti-conversion laws and other harmful policies.”
Controversy over Bhagwat’s NYC event
The Commission’s statement comes a week after Chair Mahmood called for sanctions against the RSS, claiming that Modi is a member of the group.
RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat’s planned event at New York City’s Madison Square Garden has been making headlines since its announcement, with various organisations based in the US demanding that authorities call it off.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday said he does not support the rally but signalled that his administration is unlikely to intervene to stop Bhagwat’s event.
