NEW DELHI: Human Rights Defense International (HRDI), a New Delhi-based human rights organisation, has written to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani objecting to his public opposition to the “Universal Oneness Celebration” held at Madison Square Garden on August 29, arguing that public officials must maintain neutrality towards lawful private religious and cultural assemblies.
In its letter, the organisation said the event was a privately convened and privately funded gathering organised by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue for several thousand members of the Indian-American community. According to the letter, the gathering sought no municipal endorsement and was organised to affirm shared heritage and interfaith unity among Americans from different backgrounds.
The letter described the public opposition from the Mayor’s office as a matter of concern, arguing that the office held by the Mayor carries a responsibility to protect residents irrespective of their national origin, religion or political beliefs.
“When its holder announces publicly which private religious and cultural assemblies meet with his approval and which do not, the weight of public authority is placed on one side of a contested debate,” the organisation said in its communication.
HRDI also referred to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its Sarsanghchalak, Mohan Bhagwat, stating that the organisation describes itself as a Hindu-centric civilisational and cultural movement and rejects characterisations of itself as paramilitary or anti-minority.
The letter further stated that Bhagwat’s public message has consistently emphasised social harmony and the idea that Indians of different faiths share a common heritage and should live together rather than apart.
The organisation argued that New Yorkers remained free to attend the gathering, stay away from it or protest outside it, but maintained that the Mayor’s office should not signal official disapproval of a lawful private assembly.
“These freedoms are protected under Articles 19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States,” the letter said, referring to the principles of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
HRDI also expressed concern over calls by certain organisations for the event to be cancelled and for the visa of an invited foreign guest to be revoked. The organisation argued that exclusion based on ideological association could establish a precedent extending beyond the immediate controversy.
Concluding its letter, the organisation urged the Mayor’s office to affirm that lawful private gatherings in New York City should be entitled to neutrality from public officials, regardless of the views those officials may hold about the organisers or invited guests.
