USCIRF Pushes for Sanctions on RSS, Renews Call to Bar Mohan Bhagwat from US Ahead of New York Address

Washington DC: The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has intensified pressure on Washington to act against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), days before RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is set to speak at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

In a statement released Wednesday (local time), the organization asked the US government to weigh targeted sanctions on RSS members and Indian officials it holds responsible for what it described as a worsening religious freedom situation in India. The commission went further, demanding that Bhagwat's US visa be revoked and that he be barred from entering the country in future.

USCIRF said minority religious communities in India were increasingly facing violence and incitement, and argued that US had a chance to hold India accountable on the issue. Vice Chair Cece Heil said the US government could use this moment to demonstrate its commitment to religious freedom for Indians.

This is not the commission's first salvo in the run-up to Bhagwat's visit. Its latest statement follows an earlier push to have his US engagements blocked altogether — a demand that drew a sharp response from India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).