'Impose sanctions against RSS': US religious freedom body opposes Bhagwat's visit

NEW DELHI: The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has urged the US government to impose sanctions on members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), rather than honouring them with “high-level meetings.”The statement from the USCIRF comes ahead of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s scheduled visit to the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, beginning August 25.In a post on X, the commission shared remarks from Asif Mahmood, a Pakistani-American physician who serves as its chair, and Commissioner Gene Mills.Mahmood described the RSS, the ideological parent of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as an umbrella organisation, alleging that its affiliated groups had carried out attacks on religious minorities.Mills, meanwhile, said RSS leaders, even when affiliated with the Indian government, should not be given high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies.