# India slams US religious freedom body as biased over RSS sanctions call 2026-08-21T12:57:25+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets India has sharply criticised the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) after it urged Washington to impose sanctions on members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday called USCIRF a "biased organisation" that has been making "misleading and provocative statements" about India for years. Jaiswal advised everyone to steer clear of such groups, saying they peddle their own agendas and lack credibility. The Times of India reports that USCIRF chairperson Asif Mahmood, a Pakistani-American physician, described the RSS as an umbrella organisation whose affiliated groups have attacked religious minorities. Commissioner Gene Mills said RSS leaders should not be given high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies, and urged Washington to sanction RSS members found responsible for religious freedom violations. Siasat.com notes that the call came ahead of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's scheduled visit to the US, Canada, and the UK, beginning August 25, to attend the 'Universal Oneness Celebrations' in New York. India had previously rejected USCIRF's annual report in March, which backed "targeted sanctions" on the RSS and India's Research and Analysis Wing, calling it a "distorted and selective" picture based on questionable sources. Bhagwat's visit to the US is planned for late August. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both sources report the MEA's strong rebuttal of USCIRF's call for sanctions, framing it as a biased body with no credibility. The Times of India leads with the MEA's dismissal, giving the government's view prominence, while Siasat.com includes more detail on USCIRF's allegations against the RSS and its criticism of PM Modi. Neither source offers independent analysis of USCIRF's claims or the RSS's record, the coverage is largely a straight report of the diplomatic exchange. The measured takeaway is that India has firmly rejected the US body's stance, but the actual impact on US policy or Bhagwat's visit remains to be seen. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Leads with MEA's strong rejection, reports USCIRF's call without independent scrutiny. - siasat.com (neutral report) Includes MEA rejection and details of USCIRF's allegations against RSS and PM Modi. This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-21T14:41:54+00:00. Tags: Ministry of External Affairs, Mohan Bhagwat, Randhir Jaiswal, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, United States, USCIRF Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/india-slams-us-religious-body-as-biased-over-rss-sanctions-call/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/india-slams-us-religious-body-as-biased-over-rss-sanctions-call/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/