US Commission Recommends Sanctions on India’s RSS and Intelligence Agency RAW

Darwin, 17 March: The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended imposing sanctions on India’s Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) over allegations of violating religious freedom and curtailing rights. The commission has also recommended sanctions against India’s intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

In its latest annual report, the commission designated India as a “Country of Particular Concern” and urged the U.S. government to consider religious freedom issues when shaping its trade policy and arms sales toward India.

The report suggests that sanctions could include freezing RSS assets and restricting its members from entering the United States.

In the past, the U.S. government had barred then-BJP leader and current Prime Minister Narendra Modi from entering the United States over allegations related to religious freedom and communal violence. The ban was later lifted after he became prime minister.

The Indian government has not yet commented on the latest report. However, in the past, India’s Ministry of External Affairs has described such reports as politically motivated and biased.

According to the commission, the condition of religious freedom in India has continued to deteriorate. Religious minorities and their places of worship have reportedly been attacked, and the government has been held responsible for failing to protect them.

The report also mentions strict anti-conversion laws enacted in several Indian states, increased surveillance, and allegations of harassment and deportation targeting religious minorities. It cites incidents of violence linked to extremist groups and communal tensions in different regions.

The commission highlighted other issues as well, including the detention of activists, communal violence following security incidents, and the arrest or deportation of minority groups such as Rohingya refugees.

USCIRF is an independent U.S. government body that monitors religious freedom worldwide and makes policy recommendations to the U.S. government, although its recommendations are not binding. In its report, the commission listed India among 18 countries designated as “countries of particular concern.”