More than 40 Canadian civil society, human rights, labor, and faith-based organizations have issued a joint appeal urging Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree to prevent Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat from entering the country.
The request comes ahead of Bhagwat’s planned visit to Canada from August 31 to September 1, which follows a scheduled tour in the United States intended to expand the organization’s global footprint.
In a letter and accompanying briefing paper delivered to Canadian officials, the coalition claimed that Bhagwat’s presence presents significant public safety and national security risks. The dossier asks ministers to evaluate his entry under federal inadmissibility standards, pointing to allegations of religious majoritarianism, far-right extremism, and transnational repression linked to affiliated networks. Organizations behind the submission expressed concerns that RSS-linked networks have been involved in harassing activists, scholars, and minority populations within the Canadian diaspora.
The coalition represents a broad spectrum of civil rights and community interest organizations, including the World Sikh Organization, Canadian Council of Muslim Women, Canadian Forum for Human Rights & Democracy in India, Canadian Council of Indian Muslims, Canadians for Indian Democracy, South Asian Dalit Adivasi Network, Independent Jewish Voices Canada, Just Peace Advocates, South Asian Women's & Immigrants' Services, Fédération des femmes du Québec, Dr. Ambedkar International Mission, Toronto East Anti-Hate Mobilization, and the Asian Canadian Labour Alliance.
Representing these groups, the dossier urged Minister Anandasangaree to enforce Canadian immigration laws to protect local communities from hate speech and foreign intimidation, warning that permitting entry to the leader of a violent paramilitary network would jeopardize vulnerable minority populations and undermine rights guaranteed under the Canadian Charter.
Mohan Bhagwat, 75, has served as the Sarsanghchalak, or supreme leader, of the RSS since March 2009. He previously held the role of Sarkaryavah, or general secretary, before taking over leadership from K. S. Sudarshan. Although the RSS officially classifies itself as a social and cultural organization, Bhagwat remains a central figure within India's broader Hindu nationalist movement. The organization maintains close ties with the Sangh Parivar umbrella network, which includes India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The RSS has historically been banned in India on three separate occasions—in 1948 following the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, during the Emergency in 1975, and in 1992 after the destruction of the Babri Masjid—though all bans were later rescinded.
The petition coincides with broader international attention surrounding religious freedom and the treatment of minority groups in India. Organizations such as the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) have routinely voiced concerns over the climate for religious minorities in India and scrutinized the ties between Hindu nationalist groups and the state. In its 2025 report, the commission specifically cited concerns regarding the influence of groups like the RSS, while earlier statements from 2023 highlighted rising apprehensions surrounding transnational repression targeting overseas religious minorities, journalists, and human rights advocates.