India Rejects USCIRF Call for Sanctions Against RSS

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal dismissed the commission’s track record, stating that the organization consistently ignores the reality of India’s pluralistic framework. The friction stems from USCIRF chair Asif Mahmood, who urged Washington to deny diplomatic courtesies to RSS leadership and suggested sanctions against members, citing alleged attacks on religious minorities. This is not the first time the commission has targeted the country; in March, it recommended that India be designated a 'country of particular concern' for supposed violations of religious freedom.

The push for sanctions has met resistance beyond official government channels. Ajay Shah, chair of the Hindu advocacy group HinduPACT, accused the commission of abandoning its mandate to adopt an anti-Hindu narrative. He argued that the commission’s rhetoric mirrors the agendas of groups that characterize Hindu self-assertion as extremism. While the USCIRF remains an independent federal agency tasked with advising the U.S. President and Congress on international religious liberty, New Delhi continues to view its recommendations as politically motivated and inflammatory.