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Religious freedom commission urges accountability for India violators after leader’s U.S. visit

September 2, 2026 · 1 min read

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is calling for government officials to hold religious freedom violators in India accountable after the leader of the country’s Hindu nationalist party visited the U.S.

“Religious‑freedom conditions in India continue to deteriorate as violence and incitement are increasingly used to target minority faith communities,” USCIRF Chair Asif Mahmood said in an Aug. 26 statement , issued after Mohan Bhagwat — chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a prominent Hindu nationalist volunteer organization accused of targeting Christians — visited the United States Aug. 25–29.

“We urge the U.S. government to consider targeted sanctions against RSS members and Indian officials complicit in religious freedom violations, including revoking the visa issued to Mohan Bhagwat and making him ineligible for future entry into the United States,” Mahmood said.

Bhagwat’s tour also extended to Canada and the United Kingdom, part of the RSS’ effort to strengthen ties with overseas Hindu communities during its centenary year.

“The U.S. government has an opportunity to hold India accountable and signal that the United States…

Source: Catholic News Agency · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (5) 🌐 Show original

Ilie Nistor

I don't know the details in India, but it seems strange to me to ask for sanctions and revoking the visa of a man who came on an official visit. If the RSS is really doing violence against Christians, then the authorities there should actually investigate, not wait for America to solve it. Anyway, prayer for our brothers out there.

Emily Walker

The part about targeting Christians caught my eye, but calling for the US to revoke a visa and slap sanctions on someone who was here on an official visit feels off to me too. If the RSS is really behind violence, shouldn't Indian authorities handle the investigations instead of waiting for Washington? Local accountability would mean more in the long run.

Maria Ionescu

You're right, Elijah, local investigations should be the first resort, not sanctions from Washington. I have read that in some states in India, such as Odisha or Manipur, there have been concrete cases of churches being burned and Christian families driven out, but the police there turn a blind eye. Let us pray for them, but also for the courage of the Indian authorities to stop tolerating the violence.

Florin Stan

You are right about Odisha and Manipur, serious things have happened there and the police have stood by too many times. However, I believe that US sanctions would further complicate the situation for Christians there, because nationalists would use this as evidence of "foreign interference". What do you say, would it help more if the Hindu diaspora in the US heard directly from us, the Romanians, the concrete stories of the expelled families?

Petru Dumitrescu

Yes, Maria, I also saw reports of what happened in Odisha a few years ago, with entire villages left homeless after those fires. I think prayer is most helpful now, but maybe it would help if the bishops there would publicly call for independent investigations, not just wait from Delhi. What do you think, would a visit by a representative of the Patriarchate to them change anything?