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USCIRF officials seek sanctions against RSS members
Bhagwat is scheduled to visit the United Kingdom, Canada and the U.S. from Aug. 25.
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Staff Reporter - Thu, 20, Aug 2026
- 02:13 EDT
- 55
Mohan Madhukar Bhagwat / X/@mohanbhagwat
Two officials of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) have opposed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat’s visit to the U.S. and asked the Trump administration not to extend high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies to RSS leaders.
Their remarks came ahead of RSS chief Bhagwat’s visit to the U.S. to participate in the “Universal Oneness Celebrations,” organized by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD) in New York on Aug. 29.
ALSO READ: Canadian Hindu, civil groups urge Carney govt to allow RSS chief’s visit
USCIRF Chair Asif Mahmood said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a member of the RSS, which he described as an “umbrella organization whose sub-groups have perpetrated attacks on religious minorities, incl. Christians & Muslims.”
“Now the RSS leader, Mohan Bhagwat, plans to visit the U.S.,” he said.
USCIRF Commissioner Gene Mills said RSS leaders, even when affiliated with the Indian government, should not be honored with high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies.
“Instead, the USG (U.S. government) should focus on imposing sanctions on RSS members found responsible for FoRB (freedom of religious belief) violations,” Mills said.
USCIRF posted both comments on its X page.
Chair @DrMahmood40: “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. Christians & Muslims. Now the RSS leader, Mohan Bhagwat, plans to visit the U.S."
— USCIRF (@USCIRF) August 19, 2026
Cmmr @Gene_Mills: “RSS leaders, even when affiliated with the Indian gov’t, should not be honored with high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies. Instead, the USG should focus on imposing sanctions on RSS members found responsible for FoRB violations.” https://t.co/q5XuXTKsgF
— USCIRF (@USCIRF) August 19, 2026
Bhagwat is scheduled to visit the United Kingdom, Canada and the U.S. from Aug. 25.
Recently, Canada’s New Democratic Party MPs Jenny Kwan and Heather McPherson, along with several organizations, asked the Canadian government to prevent Bhagwat from entering the country.
In response, more than 100 Canadian Hindu and civil liberties organizations have urged Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government to allow Bhagwat to visit Canada, saying any immigration or public safety decision involving him must be based on credible evidence and due process rather than political pressure.
In March, the USCIRF annual report criticized India for alleged violations of religious freedom. The report recommended that the U.S. government impose targeted sanctions on individuals and entities, including the RSS, for responsibility for or tolerance of severe religious freedom violations.
India has previously rejected USCIRF’s findings, calling its portrayal of India’s religious freedom record a “deliberate agenda” and a misrepresentation of isolated incidents.
Discover more at New India Abroad.
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