Washington: The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has raised objections to the ongoing US visit of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat and called on Washington to consider sanctions against members of the Hindu nationalist organisation, Reuters reported.
Bhagwat, who heads the RSS, is scheduled to speak at an event in New York City on Saturday. The RSS is regarded as the ideological parent of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In a statement issued on Wednesday, USCIRF Chair Asif Mahmood urged the US administration to impose targeted sanctions on RSS members and Indian officials allegedly linked to violations of religious freedom. He also called for the possible cancellation of Bhagwat’s US visa.
“We urge the U.S. government to consider targeted sanctions against RSS members and Indian officials complicit in religious freedom violations, including revoking the visa issued to Mohan Bhagwat,” Mahmood said.
The USCIRF is a bipartisan US government body that monitors religious freedom worldwide and gives recommendations to the administration and Congress. Its proposals are non-binding, and Washington has not acted on the commission’s recent calls for sanctions.
The RSS has come under criticism from rights organisations, which accuse it of promoting a Hindu majoritarian outlook that has contributed to growing hostility towards religious minorities in India.
The organisation rejects those allegations. It describes itself as a “Hindu centric civilisational, cultural movement” that seeks to take India “to the pinnacle of glory,” including by bringing Hindus together.
The Indian foreign ministry has also rejected the USCIRF’s allegations and accused the commission of adopting a prejudiced position against India.
The United Nations and international human rights organisations have expressed concern over what they describe as worsening conditions for Indian minorities in recent years.
Among the issues cited by them are an increase in hate speech, the introduction of a citizenship law based on religion, the demolition of properties belonging to Muslims, the withdrawal of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and anti-conversion laws that critics say restrict freedom of belief.
The BJP-led government has denied allegations of discriminatory policies. It maintains that its welfare initiatives, including food assistance and electrification programmes, are designed to benefit people from all communities.
