By P P Jaseem

As the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) supremo, Mohan Bhagwat, about to tour the United Kingdom, Indian diaspora organisations demanded Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), UK’s religious freedom panel, and All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for FoRB to boycott his functions. 

They also demanded to make sure that Britain’s multicultural fabric is protected.

The UK Foreign Office’s (FCDO) FoRB special envoy David Smith MP and FoRB APPG chair Jim Shannon MP are also urged to issue public condemnation of the RSS for its role in religious persecution, and impose sanctions on its members and affiliates.

Over 20 organisations who signed the letter sent out to UK Foreign Office alleged that “Mr. Bhagwat’s planned visit to Britain… is part of a charm offensive of public outreach, supported by his allies in the UK.” 

The letter highlighted a similar move done by its US counterpart for religious freedom, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) that demanded the US government to impose targeted sanction against RSS in its annual reports for the last seven consecutive years. 

The US religious freedom panel has designated India as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) “for engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations,” in its latest annual Report published this year. Ahead of his US visit last week, it also demanded the government to revoke the visa issued to Bhagwat and to ban him from entering to the country in future.  

“The threats posed in Britain by the RSS are real, active and ongoing. Mr. Bhagwat’s visit will embolden RSS affiliates in the UK to promulgate hate speech, further polarise the Indian diaspora, and create an environment of fear and intimidation for vulnerable communities across the country,” the letter sent by the organisations reads.

Bhagwat is expected to visit the UK between September 2 to 7, though the information about his UK visit is kept confidential. Earlier he visited America and spoke at New York’s Maddison Square Garden before visiting Canada amid huge backlash diverse Indian diaspora communities. 

The letter also scrutinised the legacy of Mohan Bhagwat’s predecessor and ideologue M.S Golwalkar for “notoriously gaining inspiration from Hitler’s treatment of the Jews as a model of ‘race pride’ which India should emulate in its treatment of minorities.”

This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.