61 US groups sign open letter protesting Mohan Bhagwat’s event in NYC

Guwahati: The planned August 29 appearance of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat at Madison Square Garden has sparked opposition from several groups in the United States.

The event, called Universal Oneness Celebrations, is being organised by the American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD) forum. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has also spoken against the RSS ahead of the programme.

Hindus for Human Rights is among the US-based organisations opposing the event. Its executive director, Sunita Viswanath, said 61 interfaith and secular organisations had signed an open letter objecting to the programme.

Viswanath said supporters of several organisations that signed the letter planned to attend the event and express the view that the RSS and its Hindutva ideology did not represent them.

The opposition had already been publicly voiced on Tuesday, when several interfaith and civil rights groups gathered outside New York City Hall. Hindus for Human Rights, the Indian American Muslim Council and the Interfaith Center of New York were among those calling for the programme to be cancelled.

The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) issued a security advisory on Thursday ahead of Bhagwat’s scheduled appearance. It asked Mamdani to protect all people in the city, including those attending the event.

HAF also advised people attending the programme to remain alert, pay attention to their surroundings and keep their interactions peaceful.

The organisation said activists opposed to Hindu Americans had sought to disrupt or cancel the event and called on the mayor to ensure the safety and civil rights of those attending.

Mamdani had expressed his opposition to the programme during a press conference on Tuesday. He said he was troubled by the growth of a movement in India that, in his view, promotes an exclusionary idea of the country.

The mayor also said that while he opposed the rally, the city government probably did not have the authority to stop a private event from taking place.

Mamdani referred to himself as the first Indian American mayor in New York City history and spoke about his family’s connection to India. He said he had grown up with the understanding that India was a pluralistic and secular republic where every person belonging to the country should have a place.

He said the growing presence of a movement founded on an exclusionary view of any country was deeply troubling to him and made clear that he strongly opposed it.