Responding to escalating criticism of his visit, Lindner insisted that he “went to educate myself about the organisation,” even though he is aware of “accusations of fascism” and that, as a German, “the images (of the RSS) always remind us of something.” He says he asked “many questions on radicalism.” Does his defence, though, bear up to scrutiny considering that his supposedly educational trip included stopping to touch the feet of a statue of Hedgewar?

The wounds of Nazism are still healing as Germany makes ongoing reparations — on 20 July, for instance, promising up to USD 420 million in compensation to 8,000 Romanian Jewish Holocaust survivors.

Whatever his rationale, Ambassador Walter Lindner ought to consider how his visit appears in the eyes of many Indians, particularly minorities, who feel persecuted by the RSS, as well as what message it sends about modern Germany’s feelings for the six million Jews slaughtered in the Holocaust.