The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has called on Washington to deny high-level meetings and diplomatic courtesies to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders, including those associated with the Indian Government, ahead of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s visit to the United States later this month.USCIRF Chair Asif Mahmood said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been associated with the RSS, which he described as an “Indian umbrella organisation whose sub-groups have perpetrated attacks on religious minorities, including Christians and Muslims”.The remarks came weeks before Bhagwat’s scheduled visit to the US to participate in the “Universal Oneness Celebrations”, organised by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD) in New York on August 29.USCIRF Commissioner Gene Mills said RSS leaders should not be accorded high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies by the US Government.“RSS leaders, even when affiliated with the Indian Government, should not be honoured with high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies,” Mills said. He urged the US Government to consider sanctions against RSS members found responsible for violations of freedom of religion or belief.Bhagwat’s visit is expected to centre on an event focused on Hindu engagement and dialogue. His proposed participation has attracted attention amid ongoing debate over the organisation’s influence and its relationship with India’s political establishment.The USCIRF is an independent US federal commission that monitors religious freedom conditions worldwide and makes policy recommendations to the US Government.