The Hindu American Foundation has issued a security advisory ahead of Mohan Bhagwat’s Saturday event at Madison Square Garden, urging attendees to remain vigilant and avoid confrontations.
Hindus for Human Rights and other organisations plan to protest the event, with critics accusing the RSS of promoting Hindu nationalism.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he opposes the event but questioned whether New York City has jurisdiction to cancel a private programme, while the RSS has defended it as an interfaith gathering.
A US-based advocacy group of Hindu-Americans has issued a community alert for those attending RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s event in New York, urging them to avoid confrontation with activists opposing the programme on Saturday.
The Hindu American Foundation (HAF), a US-based non-profit, has warned of attempts to disrupt and cancel the Universal Oneness Celebrations, featuring Bhagwat, scheduled for Saturday at the Infosys Theatre at Madison Square Garden.
What Does Security Advisory Say?
The Hindus for Human Rights and other like-minded organisations have planned protests outside Madison Square Garden on Saturday coinciding with the event featuring the RSS chief.
“Mohan Bhagwat does not represent Hindus. He leads an extremist Hindu nationalist movement that has fuelled violence, exclusion and fear for minority communities,” said Sravya Tadepalli, Deputy Executive Director of Hindus for Human Rights.
The HAF has also urged New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani to uphold his sworn duty to protect all New Yorkers, including those attending the event at Madison Square Garden and guarantee everyone’s safety and civil rights.
“If you’re attending: Be civil, respect everyone’s right to assemble, protest, and express their views,” the HAF said. It asked the attendees to be vigilant of the surroundings and report anything suspicious to law enforcement authorities.
“If you feel threatened, leave the area and contact event security or law enforcement. Call 911 in an emergency. Avoid confrontations or altercations with anyone making provocative or threatening statements,” the HAF said. It also asked attendees to report hate incidents, threats, vandalism, suspicious activity, or other crimes to security or law enforcement.
Why Is Mamdani Opposed To Bhagwat’s Event?
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he does not support the planned event at Madison Square Garden featuring RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, who is scheduled to address the Indian diaspora later this week. Mamdani, however, noted that the city may not have jurisdiction to cancel the “private” event.
"I don't support the rally, but I don't know if the city has any jurisdiction on cancelling a private event,” Mamdani said at a press conference here on Tuesday, responding to a question on the RSS chief’s planned event and protests against it.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Wednesday said the event in New York has been organised in the spirit of open dialogue and invited "anyone interested" in knowing more about the organisation to join the discussion.
The remarks by senior RSS functionary Sunil Ambekar came amid Mamdani's criticism of Bhagwat's participation in the Universal Oneness Celebrations at the Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden.
"The Universal Oneness Celebration in New York exemplifies an interfaith gathering where RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat ji will communicate with a diverse, multicultural, and multi-faith audience," Ambekar said in a statement.
