New York, NY

Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS),  a paramilitary movement long tied to sectarian violence in India  has allegedly entered the United States for a multi-nation tour. His trip centers on a high-visibility rally planned at Madison Square Garden in New York City on August 29 under the banner of “Universal Oneness”. 

Voices For Freedom joins a broad coalition of civil rights, interfaith, human rights, and religious-freedom organizations demanding that the U.S. Department of State revoke Bhagwat’s visa immediately and that the Department of Homeland Security open a formal review of his presence and activities in the country.  

Why We Oppose Bhagwat’s Presence

The RSS serves as the ideological engine of India’s ruling party and operates as a Hindu nationalist (“Hindutva”) volunteer movement. Major global human rights organizations repeatedly document how RSS-affiliated groups incite hate, organize intimidation, and launch physical attacks against religious minorities across India. Allowing Bhagwat to hold a massive gathering at an iconic venue like Madison Square Garden legitimizes a far-right ideological framework that directly undermines democratic values and human rights.

A Unanimous Chorus of Opposition

Voices For Freedom adds its voice to an accelerating wave of opposition from prominent rights organizations, policy watchdogs, and political figures:

 The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) publicly opposed the visit. USCIRF Chair Asif Mahmood and Commissioner Gene Mills urged the administration to deny high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies to RSS leadership, calling instead for targeted sanctions against RSS members responsible for religious freedom violations.  

 The coalition Savera: United Against Supremacy issued an investigative report, Fibs, Fronts and Fixers: The Hidden Machinery Behind Mohan Bhagwat’s U.S. Visit. The document exposes the RSS’s overseas network (Vishwa Vibhag) and details how front groups obscure the organization’s track record of intolerance.

 Hindus for Human Rights, a core member of Savera, rejected claims that Bhagwat represents mainstream Hinduism. Deputy Executive Director Sravya Tadepalli stated: “Mohan Bhagwat does not represent Hindus. He represents the fringe, extremist Hindu nationalist movement… In 1939, Madison Square Garden hosted a Nazi rally, which any of us can look back on and feel shock and shame. Madison Square Garden should not make the same mistake by holding a rally celebrating the leader of a hate movement.”  

 The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) called on the State Department to act on established legal precedents, pointing out that the U.S. government previously revoked visas for senior Indian political figures over their documented roles in communal violence.

 The advocacy group Justice For All mobilized supporters to press U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio directly to ban Bhagwat from the country, while its Canadian affiliate gathered over 260 organizations to request similar entry bans across North America.  

 The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) joined civil rights partners in calling for a strict diplomatic snub, stating that platforming the head of a nationalist movement directly contradicts American commitments to universal human rights.

 Indian opposition leaders, including Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, publicly condemned efforts to use premier academic institutions such as asking IIT directors to mobilize diaspora alumni, to grant elite credibility to Bhagwat’s U.S. tour, calling the mobilization “totally unacceptable.”  

Voices For Freedom echoes these urgent warnings: a public relations effort centered on “outreach” cannot erase decades of documented violence against minority communities.

We call on the U.S. Department of State to immediately revoke Mohan Bhagwat’s visa and on the Department of Homeland Security to investigate his presence under applicable U.S. immigration and human rights laws. We urge all federal, state, and local elected officials—including New York’s congressional delegation—to issue explicit public statements opposing his presence and to refuse any meetings or joint appearances. Furthermore, we call on the management of Madison Square Garden to reject providing a platform to a leader associated with religious extremism. Finally, we request a permanent ban on future visa issuances to ensure U.S. soil is not used to host high-profile events for leaders of supremacist movements.  

Voices For Freedom will continue to monitor Mohan Bhagwat’s itinerary, partner with coalition allies, and advocate for accountability throughout his stay.

JASPREET KAUR

info@voicesforfreedom.org