IAMC and allied faith organisations protest against Mohan Bhagwat’s event at Madison Square Garden

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.

Held under the banner “No Platform for Hate,” the protest brought together representatives of Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Dalit and interfaith organisations. 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.

“New York must not lend its most iconic stage to a violent supremacist ideology,” said Safa Ahmed of IAMC.

Brad Lander, who is running for the U.S. Congress, also joined the protest. He said there was “no room” for Mr. 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.

“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. Bhagwat is coming to New York to speak on ‘Oneness’, while for her, ‘all his oneness is for upper caste people in India’’.

Kshipra Uke of the Dalit Solidarity Forum alleged that Mr. Bhagwat has done nothing when the rapists of Bilkis Bano were felicitated after being released from jail.

“He used temples to woo Hindu votes and failed to check scam in one of the India’s biggest temples,” she added.

Japneet Singh from Sikh Coalition of New York said that his protest is not against Hinduism but Hindu nationalism.

“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.

Sarita Pandey from the Save America From Hindutva said that “If this event proceeds, its most valuable output will be the photographs: the supreme leader of the RSS beneath the Madison Square Garden name, addressing thousands from a celebrated American stage. Those images will circulate worldwide as evidence that Bhagwat was welcomed and honored in New York.”

Mr. Bhagwat is scheduled to visit the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom as part of Sangh’s centenary-year global outreach programme. According to a communique from the RSS, 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). Mr Bhagwat is expected to participate in the Universal Oneness programme in New York and community leadership events in Toronto and London.

“The outreach initiative will also focus on dialogue with mainstream institutions and communities on issues concerning Hindus and people of Indian origin living abroad,” a senior RSS functionary told The Hindu.

Commenting on the protests and criticism surrounding Mr. Bhagwat’s event in the U.S., former RSS publicity in-charge and BJP vice president, Ram Madhav, said that countries like the U.S. have given a platform to the Taliban and have a problem with dialogues of RSS.

“Speaking about Hinduism and our ideology doesn’t make us against any other religion or anti-minority,” Mr. Madhav said.