The X account of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s US event organiser, which was suspended, has now been restored.
AHEAD said it believes opponents used automated activity to get the account blocked and thanked X for restoring it. Now, back to what really matters: celebrating Universal Harmony and Universal Oneness @Uni1ness,” AHEAD said in a post on X. AHEAD had initially said it believed the suspension may have occurred in error.
The X (formerly Twitter) account of American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD), which is organising Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( RSS ) chief Mohan Bhagwat ’s event at New York’s Madison Square Garden, has been restored after a brief suspension. “We are back up! We got ‘botted’ by misguided opponents who tried to game the X algorithm and get our handle blocked. A big thank you to @X @Support for the prompt response, restoring our account and clearing out the bots.
The account, operating under the handle @AheadForum1, had earlier become unavailable to users on Thursday.
“We urge the US government to consider targeted sanctions against RSS members and Indian officials complicit in religious freedom violations, including revoking the visa issued to Mohan Bhagwat and making him ineligible for future entry into the United States,” the body said. During an August 21 press briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the commission had made what he described as “incorrect and provocative statements about India” for years. Earlier reporting noted: The development comes two days after New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he did not support the RSS or the event, but maintained that the city had no jurisdiction to cancel it. Earlier reporting noted: Mamdani said it was “incredibly troubling” to witness the rise of a movement in India that was based on what he described as an “exclusionary vision”.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs has previously rejected USCIRF’s assessments, accusing the body of bias and questioning its credibility. Earlier reporting noted: Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Mamdani reiterated his opposition to the rally but said the city’s government likely did not have the jurisdiction to cancel a private event.
The programme is expected to draw around 5,000 Indian Americans as part of the RSS’s global outreach during its centenary year Earlier this week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he did not support the planned event, while acknowledging that his office may not have the authority to cancel a private gathering.
Bhagwat is scheduled to address the “Universal Oneness Celebration” at the Infosys Theatre at Madison Square Garden on August 29. HAF said the advisory followed attempts by activists targeting Hindu Americans to disrupt and cancel the celebration.