The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) and allied community and faith organisations held a press conference in New York on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) to protest against an upcoming event featuring Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat at Madison Square Garden on August 29.
The organisers urged New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani not to allow Madison Square Garden to provide a platform to Mr. Bhagwat, whom they described as a proponent of Hindu supremacist ideology and ‘RSS as ‘’anti-minority’ organisation. Brad Lander, who is running for the U.S. Congress, also joined the protest. Bhagwat and what he described as the RSS’s hatred in New York City, arguing that the safety of communities with different religious and cultural backgrounds was interconnected. Bhagwat is coming to New York to speak on ‘Oneness’, while for her, ‘all his oneness is for upper caste people in India’’. “This is not Hindu versus Sikh. This is not India versus America. This is about whether New York will stand for democracy, pluralism, and religious freedom, or whether we will give a platform to an ideology that places religious extremism above equality,” he added.
Held under the banner “No Platform for Hate,” the protest brought together representatives of Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Dalit and interfaith organisations. He said there was “no room” for Mr. “We fight for the rights of people who worship differently than you, who look differently than you…everyone’s safety is bound together here…hence we must not allow Mohan Bhagwat to use this prestigious venue of our city as his organisation is known for foment violence against Sikhs, Muslims, Christian,” he added. Kylie Madhav of Hindus for Human Rights said that Mr. Japneet Singh from Sikh Coalition of New York said that his protest is not against Hinduism but Hindu nationalism.
Mr. Bhagwat is scheduled to visit the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom as part of Sangh’s centenary-year global outreach programme. Mr Bhagwat is expected to participate in the Universal Oneness programme in New York and community leadership events in Toronto and London.
The visit is aimed at engaging with Indian diaspora communities and broader audiences in the three countries, while highlighting India’s cultural traditions and the concept of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the idea that the world is one family), according to a communique from the RSS.
