Ahead of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s scheduled address at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has urged the US government to consider targeted sanctions against members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Indian officials over "deterioration in religious freedom" in India.
In a statement issued on Wednesday (local time), the US rights body alleged that violence and incitement were being used to target religious minority communities. It also called for the revocation of Bhagwat’s US visa and a ban on his future entry into the country.
"Religious freedom conditions in India continue to deteriorate as violence and incitement are frequently used to target religious minority communities. 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 and making him ineligible for future entry into the United States."
"The U.S. 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.
The latest statement comes days after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) criticised USCIRF for calling for meetings involving Bhagwat in the US to be barred.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had on August 21 described the commission as a "biased institution" and questioned its credibility, saying it had repeatedly issued "incorrect and provocative statements" about India.
"We all know this is a biased institution. For years, it has made incorrect and provocative statements about India. We should ignore such institutions, as they have their own agendas and lack credibility," Jaiswal said during the briefing.
(With inputs from ANI)