Over 40 Canadian groups urge Ottawa to deny entry to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat
Warn of potential risks to Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jews and Dalits
Ottawa: More than 40 Canadian civil society, human rights, labour and faith-based organizations have urged Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree to deny entry to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, who is reportedly expected to visit Canada from August 31 to September 1.
According to Kashmir Media Service the organizations made the demand in a letter to the Canadian Public Safety Minister, saying Bhagwat’s visit poses public safety and national security concerns, citing the RSS’s record of religious majoritarianism, intimidation and links to transnational repression.
The coalition has also submitted a briefing paper to Canadian ministers, urging them to examine Bhagwat’s proposed entry under Canadian laws governing inadmissibility. The groups pointed to the links between RSS-affiliated networks and harassment of activists, academics and members of minority communities in the diaspora.
“Minister Anandasangaree must enforce Canadian law to protect our communities from far-right extremism, hate speech, and foreign intimidation,” the letter said.
The organizations further argued that allowing the RSS chief into Canada could pose risks to vulnerable minority communities, including Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jews and Dalits, and undermine their rights and freedoms protected under the Canadian Charter.
The demand comes amid growing international scrutiny of religious freedom and minority rights in India under the BJP-led government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has repeatedly raised concerns over the state of religious freedom in India and examined the role of Hindu nationalist groups, including the RSS, in the country’s religious and political environment. In its 2025 report, the commission expressed concern over the influence of Hindutva organizations such as the RSS in India’s religious-freedom environment.
USCIRF has also highlighted concerns about transnational repression targeting religious minorities, activists, journalists and human rights defenders outside India.
