An event Saturday in New York City, featuring the head of a Hindu nationalist group instrumental in putting India’s ruling party in power, is being met with protests, a denunciation from the city’s mayor and a call for sanctions from a U.S. panel on religious freedom.
Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, widely considered the ideological parent of the Bharatiya Janata Party, is scheduled to address about 5,000 members of Indian American groups at the city's iconic Madison Square Garden arena. Titled “Universal Oneness Celebration,” the event is being organized by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue.
