ISLAMABAD: The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has called for targeted sanctions against specific Indian government officials and members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), citing ongoing violations of religious freedoms.
“The United States must hold India accountable for religious freedom violations,” a federal commission said Wednesday, demanding sanctions over a visit by the leader of a Hindu nationalist group blamed for years of violence against religious minorities.
USCIRF, a panel created by the US Congress, said it is alarmed by a recent US trip by Mohan Bhagwat, who leads the RSS, which is widely seen as the ideological parent of India's ruling party, the BJP.
RSS-linked groups have attacked Christians, Dalits, Muslims and Sikhs across India in recent years, the commission said.
USCIRF linked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party policies directly to RSS ideology. It said that New Delhi was pursuing minorities beyond its borders, citing a killing and foiled plots against Sikh activists in North America.
"Violence and incitement are frequently used to target religious minority communities," USCIRF Chair Asif Mahmood said. He urged sanctions against RSS members and Indian officials, including revoking Bhagwat's visa and barring his future entry to the US.
The commission said that Indian police routinely let mob attacks on Muslims and Christians go unpunished, with the violence tied to state anti-conversion laws.
Stripped of citizenship
In the Indian state of Assam, authorities have stripped Muslims of citizenship under the National Register of Citizens and Citizenship Amendment Act. Pending changes to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act threaten funding for religious charities, the commission said.
USCIRF Vice Chair Cece Heil said religious freedom in India "will only deteriorate further" without US pressure on vigilante mobs targeting minorities and worship sites.
The commission’s 2026 annual report urged the US State Department to add India to its “Countries of Particular Concern” list, reserved for governments accused of severe rights violations.
Facing legal complaints in India
Bhagwat, 75, has led the RSS since March 2009, succeeding K.S. Sudarshan, according to RSS records. He previously ran its physical training wing and later served as general secretary. He holds no government post, but his addresses set the ideological direction for BJP politics.
Bhagwat has faced legal complaints at home. In 2018, remarks comparing RSS volunteers' readiness to India's military drew complaints in Bihar, according to The Hindu. Indian courts did not pursue charges.
Similarly, a Nagpur complaint filed in 2026 accused Bhagwat of violating India's secular constitution after he said the country is already a "Hindu Rashtra," or Hindu nation. The Indian police filed no charges, United News of India reported.
The dispute has reached beyond Washington and New Delhi. Hindus for Human Rights have urged Congress to pair sanctions with a review of US arms sales to India, arguing military cooperation undercuts American criticism of the crackdown.
Breach of civil and political rights
Twelve of India's 28 states enforce anti-conversion laws, according to research by Roy Alex, among others. The study found that several laws shift the burden of proof onto the accused and exempt reconversion to Hinduism from scrutiny. The researchers said these provisions breach the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which has been ratified by over 170 nations.
Amnesty International has reported at least 128 punitive demolitions of Muslim-owned property in five states in 2022, leaving over 617 people homeless. Gujarat authorities demolished more than 10,000 structures belonging largely to Bengali-speaking Muslims after an April 2025 attack in Kashmir, UN rapporteurs said, with Assam tearing down 3,400 more.
The United Christian Forum recorded 834 attacks on Christians in 2024, projecting the toll near 900 in 2025. Unsealed Justice Department indictments say Indian intelligence officer Vikash Yadav orchestrated murder-for-hire plots against Sikh activists in North America, linked to the killing of a Sikh leader in Canada.