India has junked the remarks made by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urging sanctions against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Research. The organisation asked the US government not to extend courtesies to RSS leaders. The organisation also called for US sanctions on India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday (21st August) rejected the USCIRF’s statement, calling it a “biased” organisation with a track record of making “disparaging and inflammatory remarks about India”.
“We are all aware that the organisation—or entity—you are referring to is biased; for years, it has been making disparaging and inflammatory remarks about India. I would say we should steer clear of such organisations, as they operate with their own agendas and lack any credibility or trustworthiness. That is my response to that point.” Jaiswal said during a press briefing.
#WATCH | Delhi: On United States Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) report recommending sanctions on RSS, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, "We are all aware that the organization—or entity—you are referring to is biased; for years, it has been making… pic.twitter.com/wQNZWFg3Fz
— ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2026
India’s strong response comes after the US-based organisation openly called for sanctions against the RSS, alleging it of perpetrating attacks on Christians and Muslims in India. It pointed out PM Modi’s association with the RSS to insinuate that the Indian government, in connivance with the RSS, has been targeting minorities in the country.
“India’s PM Modi is a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), an Indian umbrella organisation whose sub-groups have perpetrated attacks on religious minorities, incl. Christians & Muslims. Now, the RSS leader, Mohan Bhagwat, plans to visit the U.S.,” the USCIRF’s Pakistan-born American Chairman, Dr Asif Mahmood, said.
“RSS leaders, even when affiliated with the Indian gov’t, should not be honoured with high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies. Instead, the USG should focus on imposing sanctions on RSS members found responsible for FoRB violations,” the organisation’s commissioner Gene Mills remarked.
Cmmr @Gene_Mills: “RSS leaders, even when affiliated with the Indian gov’t, should not be honored with high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies. Instead, the USG should focus on imposing sanctions on RSS members found responsible for FoRB violations.” https://t.co/q5XuXTKsgF
— USCIRF (@USCIRF) August 19, 2026
The USCIRF’s remarks come ahead of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat’s scheduled visit to the US as part of a three-nation tour of the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, starting from 25th August.
In its annual report for the year 2026, the USCIRF has made several unfounded allegations against the Indian government, the RSS and India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). In the report, the USCIRF placed India among the countries it describes as “countries of particular concern”. It also urged the American government to designate India as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) for allegedly “engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations, as defined by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA)”.
Along with the RSS, the organisation also called for US sanctions on India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), for what it calls “their responsibility and tolerance of severe violations of religious freedom”. It recommended freezing their assets and barring their entry into the United States.
In the report, the USCIRF has asked the US government to “press India to allow US government entities such as USCIRF and the U.S. Department of State to conduct in-country assessments of religious freedom conditions”. It suggested that the US should offer future security assistance and enter into bilateral trade policies with India only if India improves on religious freedom.
The organisation recommended that the US government enforce Section 6 of the Arms Export Control Act to stop sales of arms to India because of India’s “continued acts of intimidation and harassment against U.S. citizens and religious minorities”.
It further asked the US Congress to reintroduce and pass the Transnational Repression Reporting Act of 2024 to require the Indian government to provide an annual report of acts of transnational repression by it targeting religious minorities in the United States.
This is not the first time the USCIRF has displayed its vicious anti-India and anti-Hindu propaganda, the organisation has a history trying to defame India and Hindus.
