India slams US religious freedom body as biased over RSS sanctions call

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.