Congress Urges To Ban RSS After US Religious Freedom Panel Recommends Sanctions Against Outfit

Last Updated:March 16, 2026, 13:45 IST

The Congress's demand came a day after the release of the USCIRF’s annual report, which recommended targeted sanctions against organisations including the RSS and R&AW.

The Congress on Monday called for a ban on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) after the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended sanctions against the right-wing outfit and the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW).

In a post on X, the Congress said the United States should impose a ban on the RSS, sharing the USCIRF’s recommendation made to the administration of Donald Trump. The party cited the commission’s findings that the RSS poses a threat to religious freedom and alleged that an organisation opposing the Constitution undermines unity and social harmony in the country.

“The US should impose a ban on RSS. This recommendation was made to the Donald Trump administration by the USCIRF, an official US government body. The USCIRF has warned that the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) poses a threat to people’s religious freedom. Sardar Patel ji banned the RSS in India following the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi ji. An organisation that opposes the Constitution and advocates running the country according to the Manusmriti is poison to the unity and brotherhood of this nation," it said in a post on X.

The Congress’s demand came a day after the release of the USCIRF’s annual report, which recommended targeted sanctions against organisations including the RSS and R&AW over alleged violations of religious freedom. The commission also urged the US government to designate India as a “Country of Particular Concern," a category used for nations accused of systematic and serious violations of religious freedom.

In its report, the USCIRF claimed that religious freedom conditions in India had continued to deteriorate in 2025. It alleged that authorities had introduced or strengthened laws targeting religious minorities, including stricter anti-conversion legislation in several states. The report also cited communal clashes in states such as Maharashtra, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh, and criticised legislation such as the Waqf (Amendment) Act.

The commission further recommended that Washington link arms sales and trade relations with India to measurable progress on religious freedom issues.

“Several states undertook efforts to introduce or strengthen anti-conversion laws to include harsher prison sentences. Indian authorities also facilitated widespread detention and illegal expulsion of citizens and religious refugees and tolerated vigilante attacks against religious minority communities," the report said.

The USCIRF cited communal clashes in states like Maharashtra, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh, blaming groups like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, an RSS affiliate, for violence.

It recommended that the US government press India on religious freedom issues. The USCIRF called for the government to “enforce Section 6 of the Arms Export Control Act to halt arms sales to India based on continued acts of intimidation and harassment against US citizens and religious minorities."

In 2025, the External Affairs Ministry said that USCIRF continued its pattern of issuing biased and politically motivated assessments. It said the USCIRF’s persistent attempts to misrepresent isolated incidents and cast aspersions on India’s vibrant multicultural society reflect a deliberate agenda rather than a genuine concern for religious freedom.

News india Congress Urges To Ban RSS After US Religious Freedom Panel Recommends Sanctions Against Outfit

Read More