U.S. religious freedom body seeks sanctions against RSS, no high-level meetings with its leaders

Bhagwat’s arrival and the planned gathering

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat arrived in the United States on August 25, 2026, as part of the organisation’s centenary-year global outreach programme that also includes Canada and the United Kingdom. During his stay in New York he is scheduled to take part in the Universal Oneness Celebration and address a gathering expected to number around 5,000 people at Madison Square Garden on August 29.

The event is organised by the American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD) Forum in association with hundreds of cultural, spiritual, service, faith and community organisations. Organisers have said it will promote unity, civic responsibility and global harmony under the theme Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, or “the world is one family.” Free Press Journal reported that Bhagwat was received with a traditional ceremony and that the gathering will feature faith-based speakers and cultural presentations, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan. Bhagwat has served as RSS Sarsanghchalak since 2009.

Mayor Mamdani’s response

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he does not support the planned Madison Square Garden event. Speaking at a news conference, he stated: “I don’t support the rally, but I don’t know if the city has any jurisdiction on cancelling a private event.” The remark was carried by ANI, The Indian Express, India Today and The Hindu.

Mamdani noted that he is the first Indian-American mayor in the city’s history and that his mother’s family remains in India. He said the vision of India he was taught is that of “a pluralistic society, of a secular republic that believed in the belonging of each and every person who was from India.” He added that it had been “incredibly troubling to see the rise of a movement that is predicated on an exclusionary vision,” placing himself in “deep opposition” both as an Indian-American and as mayor of a city that values belonging regardless of colour, creed or faith.

Interfaith protests outside City Hall

Several interfaith and civil rights organisations held a press conference outside New York City Hall opposing Bhagwat’s appearance and urging the venue to cancel. Groups named across reports by The Indian Express, India Today and The Hindu included Hindus for Human Rights, the Indian American Muslim Council and the Interfaith Centre of New York.

The Indian American Muslim Council and allied organisations convened under the banner “No Platform for Hate,” bringing together Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Dalit and interfaith representatives. Safa Ahmed of the IAMC said, “New York must not lend its most iconic stage to a violent supremacist ideology.” Congressional candidate Brad Lander stated there was “no room” for Bhagwat and what he described as the RSS’s hatred, adding that community safety is interconnected. Kylie Madhav of Hindus for Human Rights remarked that “all his oneness is for upper caste people in India.” Kshipra Uke of the Dalit Solidarity Forum alleged Bhagwat did nothing when those convicted in the Bilkis Bano case were felicitated after release. Japneet Singh of the Sikh Coalition said the protest targeted Hindu nationalism rather than Hinduism. Sarita Pandey of Save America From Hindutva warned that photographs from the event would be circulated as evidence of welcome in New York.

Hindus for Human Rights separately stated that Bhagwat’s visit cannot be separated from the RSS network’s violence against Muslims and Christians.

USCIRF officials call for sanctions

Officials of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom called for sanctions against the RSS and urged that its leaders not receive high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies. The Hindu reported that USCIRF chair Asif Mahmood described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a member of the RSS, which he called an umbrella organisation whose sub-groups have perpetrated attacks on religious minorities, including Christians and Muslims. Mahmood’s remarks referenced Bhagwat’s planned U.S. visit.

USCIRF Commissioner Gene Mills said RSS leaders, even when affiliated with the Indian government, should not be honoured with high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies. “Instead, the USG should focus on imposing sanctions on RSS members found responsible for FoRB violations,” Mills said. The commission posted the remarks on its X account.

In March the USCIRF annual report had criticised India and backed targeted sanctions on the RSS and the Research and Analysis Wing. India rejected that report as “distorted and selective” and reliant on “questionable sources and ideological narratives.” External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said on March 16 that USCIRF should reflect on attacks on Hindu temples in the United States and growing intolerance against the Indian diaspora.

Organisers’ framing and a defence of the RSS

AHEAD Forum and the Universal Oneness Celebration have presented the August 29 gathering as a call to look beyond divisions, recognise bonds uniting humanity and embrace mutual respect and harmony. Organisers described it as one of the largest and most diverse Hindu community gatherings in the country and noted Bhagwat rarely speaks at large public events in America.

Ram Madhav, a former RSS publicity in-charge and BJP vice-president, responded to the criticism by observing that countries such as the United States have given a platform to the Taliban yet express difficulty with dialogues involving the RSS. “Speaking about Hinduism and our ideology doesn’t make us against any other religion or anti-minority,” Madhav said, according to The Hindu.

Perspectives

Distinct positions have emerged from named parties. USCIRF officials Asif Mahmood and Gene Mills have urged sanctions and the withholding of high-level diplomatic engagement, linking the RSS to alleged violations of religious freedom. Mayor Zohran Mamdani has voiced personal and political opposition to what he terms an exclusionary vision while acknowledging jurisdictional limits on cancelling a private event. Interfaith and civil-rights organisations, including the Indian American Muslim Council, Hindus for Human Rights, the Dalit Solidarity Forum and the Sikh Coalition, have called for the Madison Square Garden platform to be denied, citing concerns over supremacist ideology, caste and communal violence. Event organisers under the AHEAD Forum frame the gathering as a celebration of unity and the principle that the world is one family. Ram Madhav has defended the RSS ideology as non-hostile to other religions.

The event remains scheduled for August 29 at Madison Square Garden.