Social media platform X has suspended the account of American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD) forum, the organisers of an event in New York City set to feature Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat.
The X account is now ‘unavailable’ to users. According to news agency PTI, the organisation has issued a statement, saying the suspension “may have occurred in error.”
“We remain confident that our communications have consistently promoted universal peace, oneness, harmony, and constructive interfaith and intercultural dialogue in accordance with X’s policies,” it added.
The development comes one day after New York Mayor said that he didn’t support RSS or the event but didn’t think the city had any jurisdiction over cancelling it.
The rally is set to take place at Madison Square Garden on August 29.
Mohan Bhagwat is all set to headline the ‘Universal Oneness Celebration’ at the Infosys Theatre in Madison Square Garden, NYC this week. He is currently in the US as part of a three-country outreach tour covering the US, Canada and the UK.
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Mohan Bhagwat’s visa revocation demand
Earlier today, a US Congress-constituted advisory body on religious freedom urged the Trump administration to revoke Mohan Bhagwat’s visa with the RSS chief already in the US.
The USCIRF expressed concerns over Bhagwat’s visit and alleged that RSS subgroups have “perpetrated violent attacks against religious minorities”, a report by news agency PTI said.
India has rejected the claims made by the USCIRF, describing it as a biased organisation that lacks credibility.
“It is a biased organisation. I would say that we should keep away from such organisations as they have their own agenda and lack any credibility…We do not expect that the USCIRF will engage with the reality of India’s pluralistic framework or acknowledge the harmonious coexistence of its diverse communities,” External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said recently.
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Row over Mamdani’s remarks
A controversy erupted over Mohan Bhagwat’s NYC event after it. Asked whether the city should move to cancel the event, Mamdani said, “I don’t support the rally, but I don’t know if the city has any jurisdiction on cancelling a private event.”
He had also said, “I also stand here as the first Indian-American Mayor in our city’s history, and my mother’s family is all still in India.”
Zohran Mamdani is the son of Indian-origin filmmaker Mira Nair. He said he stands against the ideology of the RSS and said it was “incredibly troubling to see the rise of a movement that is predicated on an exclusionary vision of any country”.
The NYC Mayor’s remarks drew reactions in India, with some politicians backing them and other opposing them.
