WASHINGTON: A large demonstration erupted outside Madison Square Garden this week as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat attended an event billed as a celebration of “Universal Oneness”, with protesters saying the message contradicted the RSS’s Hindu supremacist ideology.

Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Dalit and civil-rights groups converged outside the New York landmark to protest Bhagwat’s appearance, accusing the RSS of promoting a majoritarian vision of India and of being associated with violence and discrimination against religious minorities.

The demonstration took place as thousands of people gathered inside the venue for the “Universal Oneness Celebration”, organised by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue. Organisers presented the event as a celebration of Hindu culture and the idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam — the world as one family.

But protesters said universal brotherhood placards could not conceal what they described as the RSS’s record in India. “This is kind of a goodwill tour to improve the public image of the RSS,” Sravya Tadepalli of Hindus for Human Rights told reporters before the event, des­cribing the organisation as a “fascist paramilitary organisation” accused of decades of communal violence against minorities.

The protest was organised under the banner “Hindus Say No to the RSS”, with organisers calling for a secular and interfaith India. The coalition said the RSS’s Hindu nationalist vision threatens Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits and others who do not fit its conception of the Indian nation.

The opposition had gathered momentum well before Bhagwat reached New York.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani publicly opposed the event, describing the rise of what he called an exclusionary vision of India as deeply troubling. He said the city might not have legal authority to stop a privately organised event.

The controversy also reached Washington. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom called for Bhagwat’s visa to be revoked and urged the Trump administration to consider targeted sanctions against RSS members and Indian officials.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2026