RSS Chief's New York Visit Sparks Protests Over Minority Rights

Human Rights Research Center
1 day ago
4 min read

September 2, 2026

HRRC expresses concern over RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat’s visit to New York, given the longstanding crimes, violence, discrimination and atrocities against minorities and the Muslim community linked with the RSS and its affiliates. We call for accountability, protection of religious freedom and equal rights for Muslims and other minorities in India.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) flag [Image credit: Prashant Mevada/Pexels]

Human rights activists and groups protested outside Madison Square Garden in New York as Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), addressed the ‘Universal Oneness Celebration’, attended by 5,000 people. These protesting organizations include South Asian Left (SALAM), Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR) and Anti-Imperialist South Asian Alliance Philadelphia (AISA Philly).

Founded in 1925, the RSS is a Hindu nationalist organization and the ideological parent of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with Prime Minister Narendra Modi maintaining ties to it.

Human rights and interfaith groups argue that the political vision of Hindu Rashtra (Hindu State) of the RSS threatens India’s secular order by placing Hindu majoritarianism at the centre of the state.

The organizations and bodies that have accused the RSS and its affiliates of atrocities and abuses include the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), Human Rights Watch (HRW), Amnesty International, the United Nations (UN), the Coalition to Protect Civil Rights and other human rights organizations.

Ahead of Bhagwat’s visit, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom urged sanctions against the RSS over attacks on religious minorities and recommended that India be designated a “Country of Particular Concern” for religious freedom.

Their allegations concern abuses affecting Muslims, Christians, Dalits and Sikhs, including mob violence, killings, attacks on places of worship, demolitions of Muslim-owned property, forced displacement, intimidation, and other forms of persecution against minorities.

The RSS’s history has also drawn scrutiny because its early ideologues praised aspects of European fascism and advocated for the assimilation or subordination of minorities. The organization was banned after Mahatma Gandhi’s 1948 assassination, carried out by a Hindu nationalist who had ties to the RSS. However, the RSS denied responsibility for the killing.

New York’s Mayor Zohran Mamdani also opposed the event featuring Bhagwat, calling the RSS vision exclusionary while acknowledging that the city likely lacked authority to cancel a private gathering.

However, it is important to note that the protest organizers stressed that their opposition was to Hindutva as a political ideology, not Hinduism or Hindu communities. They said religious nationalism should not be presented as universal unity.

Glossary

Acknowledge – to accept, admit, or recognize something, or the truth or existence of something.
Affiliates – to cause a group to become part of or form a close relationship with another, usually larger, group, or organization.
Assimilation – the process of becoming a part, or making someone become a part, of a group, country, society, etc.
Atrocities – an extremely cruel, violent, or shocking act.
Demolitions – the act of destroying something such as a building.
Discrimination – treating a person or particular group of people differently, especially in a worse way than the way in which you treat other people, because of their race, gender, sexuality, etc.
Displacement – the situation in which people are forced to leave the place where they normally live.
Exclusionary – limited to only one group or particular groups of people, in a way that is unfair.
Fascism – a political ideology characterized by an emphasis on nationalism, often accompanied by dictatorial power, suppression of dissent, corporatization, and, in many instances, racism.
Hindutva – a right-wing political and nationalist ideology that defines Indian culture and national identity through the lens of Hinduism.
Ideology – a set of beliefs or principles, especially one on which a political system, party, or organization is based.
Ideologues – a person who believes very strongly in particular principles and tries to follow them carefully.
Imperialist – supporting or relating to imperialism. Imperialism is a system in which a country rules other countries, sometimes having used force to get power over them.
Intimidation – the action of frightening or threatening someone, usually in order to persuade them to do something that you want them to do.
Majoritarianism – the idea that the numerical majority of a population should have the final say in determining the outcome of a decision.
Nationalism – the feelings of affection and pride that people have for their country.
Pluralistic – Including or considering many different types of people, with different beliefs, opinions, and needs
Sanctions – an official order, such as the stopping of trade, that is taken against a country in order to make it obey international law.
Scrutiny – the careful and detailed examination of something in order to get information about it.
Secular – not having any connection with religion.
Subordination – having a lower or less important position.
Universal – existing everywhere or involving everyone.
Worship – to have or show a strong feeling of respect and admiration for God or a god.

References

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RSS Chief's New York Visit Sparks Protests Over Minority Rights

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