Archive · 27 Aug 2026
X Suspends AHEAD Account Before Bhagwat’s New York Event
X suspended the account of a group called AHEAD Forum.
AHEAD is organizing a large event in New York on August 29.
The event is called the Universal Oneness Celebration.
Mohan Bhagwat, the leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, is scheduled to speak.
AHEAD says the event celebrates Raksha Bandhan and encourages unity and respect between different communities.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he does not support the RSS or the gathering.
However, he said the city does not have the legal power to stop a private event.
AHEAD asked X to restore its account and said the suspension may have been a mistake.
X has not publicly said why it suspended the account.
X suspended the American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue account days before its August 29 New York event.
The group is organizing the “Universal Oneness Celebration” at the Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat is scheduled to address the gathering during a US, Canada and UK outreach tour.
AHEAD says the Raksha Bandhan event promotes peace, unity, harmony, mutual understanding and interfaith dialogue.
AHEAD appealed for reinstatement, while X has not publicly explained the suspension; Mayor Zohran Mamdani has opposed the gathering but said the city cannot cancel it.
- Who
- X suspended the account of American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue, the organizer of an event featuring Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat; Mayor Zohran Mamdani has opposed the gathering.
- What
- AHEAD’s X account was suspended shortly before the group’s “Universal Oneness Celebration.”
- When
- The event is scheduled for August 29; the account was suspended days beforehand.
- Where
- The event is planned for the Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
- Why
- AHEAD says the event will promote unity, harmony, mutual understanding and interfaith dialogue; X’s reason for the suspension has not been publicly disclosed.
Critics and Opponents
Organizers and Supporters
Whether the event should proceed
Critics and Opponents
Zohran Mamdani said he does not support the RSS or the gathering and described the movement as exclusionary, while stating that the city lacks legal authority to prohibit it.
Organizers and Supporters
AHEAD and supporters describe the event as a multicultural and interfaith celebration centered on unity, peace, social harmony and respect across communities.
Reason for the account suspension
Critics and Opponents
X has not publicly disclosed why it suspended AHEAD’s account, so no official explanation is available.
Organizers and Supporters
AHEAD says the suspension may have occurred in error and argues that its communications have followed X’s policies and promoted interfaith and intercultural dialogue.
Religious-freedom concerns involving the RSS
Critics and Opponents
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom urged consideration of targeted sanctions against RSS members, including possible visa action against Bhagwat, citing alleged deteriorating religious-freedom conditions in India.
Organizers and Supporters
India’s Ministry of External Affairs rejected the allegations, calling USCIRF biased and lacking credibility; Mary Millben also defended the event and its theme of “Oneness.”
- Organizer
- American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD Forum)
- Event
- Universal Oneness Celebration
- Date
- August 29
- Venue
- Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York City
- Scheduled speaker
- Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
- Account status
- Suspended by X; AHEAD has appealed for reinstatement
- Public controversy
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani opposes the gathering but said municipal authorities cannot cancel the private event
