US rights body seeks sanctions on RSS; Mohan Bhagwat’s visa should be cancelled

NEW YORK: The US commission working for religious freedom has called for sanctions against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The commission issued a statement urging the US to consider imposing sanctions on the RSS, citing what it described as a deterioration of religious freedom in India. The statement came as RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is scheduled to deliver a speech at Madison Square Garden today.

The commission said that attacks and hate campaigns against religious minorities continue in India. It therefore called for the cancellation of Mohan Bhagwat’s visa and urged the US administration to take strong action against RSS leaders and Indian officials.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs had earlier opposed the commission’s demands. The ministry described the human rights organisation as biased and lacking credibility. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the commission had repeatedly made inaccurate and provocative statements about India and that such statements should be ignored.
‘They have been making inaccurate and provocative statements about India for years. Such organisations have their own agendas. They lack credibility, and therefore, we should ignore them,’ said Jaiswal.