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The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has urged Washington to hold India accountable for what it describes as persistent and serious violations of religious freedom and consider targeted sanctions against members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Indian officials allegedly responsible for or complicit in such violations.
The statement was issued as RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat began a visit to the United States. USCIRF alleged that members of organisations affiliated with the RSS have been involved in violent attacks targeting religious minorities, including Muslims, Christians, Dalits and Sikhs, Maktoob Media reported.
USCIRF Chair Asif Mahmood said the religious freedom situation in India had continued to worsen, with violence and incitement allegedly being used against minority communities. He called on the US government to consider sanctions against RSS members and Indian officials whom the commission holds responsible for religious freedom violations.
Mahmood also suggested that Washington should revoke Bhagwat’s US visa and bar him from entering the country in the future.
The commission further alleged that policies pursued by the BJP-led government closely reflected the RSS’s Hindutva ideology and had discriminatory effects on religious minorities. It accused Indian authorities of failing to adequately prevent, investigate or prosecute serious incidents of mob violence against Muslims and Christians.
USCIRF also expressed concerns about India’s anti-conversion laws, arguing that they have disproportionately affected Christians and other minority communities. It raised similar concerns over the impact of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) on Muslims, particularly in Assam.
The commission additionally warned that restrictions on civic space and proposed changes to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act could adversely affect faith-based organisations and their activities.
USCIRF Vice Chair Cece Heil said the US had an opportunity to demonstrate its support for religious freedom in India by holding those responsible accountable. She cautioned that the situation could worsen further if no action was taken, particularly amid alleged attacks by vigilante groups on religious minorities and places of worship.
Bhagwat arrived in New York on Tuesday as part of a three-country outreach tour covering the US, Canada and the UK to mark the RSS’s centenary. The visit has drawn opposition from rights and advocacy organisations, with several groups planning protests against his scheduled event at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. The groups have accused the RSS of promoting an exclusionary majoritarian ideology in India.
The latest USCIRF statement follows its 2026 annual report, in which the commission recommended that the US State Department designate India a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over what it characterised as systematic and severe religious freedom violations. India was among 18 countries recommended for such a designation this year.
In May, USCIRF also held a hearing titled Deteriorating Religious Freedom Conditions in India, where witnesses discussed alleged violence and harassment against Muslims, Christians and Sikhs, as well as the use of citizenship and anti-terror laws against minority communities and advocates working on their behalf.