Sikh organizations protest Mohan Bhagwat’s event in New York, raise Khalistan slogans
Babushahi Bureau
New York (US), August 29, 2026: Sikh organisations staged a large-scale protest outside an event featuring Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, with protesters carrying Khalistan flags and raising slogans in support of Khalistan.
The protest was organised following a call by the Sikh Coordination Committee East Coast. According to the committee, Sikh leaders, activists and members of the community travelled from several US states to participate in the demonstration.
Organisations that took part included Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), American Gurdwara Management Committee, Sikhs for Justice, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur International Sikh Society, Khalistan Affairs Center, Council of Khalistan, Sikh Caucus Committee and Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha Sports Club. Representatives of several gurdwaras and Sikh organisations in New York also participated.
Members of the Sikh community from New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Indiana and Boston were also among those attending the protest.
Addressing the gathering, speakers raised issues concerning the RSS ideology, the situation of minorities in India, Sikh human rights, Punjab’s political future and the right to self-determination.
The organisers said the protest was held peacefully and described it as a demonstration of the Sikh diaspora’s opposition to what they termed “hatred and anti-minority ideology”.
The Sikh Coordination Committee said that the United States, with its constitutional protections for religious freedom and freedom of speech, provides a democratic platform for communities to raise concerns about human rights and political issues.
Committee coordinator Himmat Singh reiterated the demand for Punjab’s right to determine its political future.
“The independence of Punjab is the only way to secure our national existence, identity and the future of future generations,” he said, according to the committee. He added that the Sikh community would continue to raise its demands for self-determination through peaceful and democratic means.
Himmat Singh also alleged that jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and networks associated with him were being used in violent activities targeting the Sikh diaspora abroad in alleged collusion with the Indian government and the RSS. He called for the allegations to be investigated independently and transparently at the international level.
These claims could not be independently verified.
Dr Amarjit Singh said the issues of Sikh self-determination and human rights should receive greater attention internationally. He argued that the political aspirations and voices of communities should be addressed through democratic processes rather than suppressed.
Harjinder Singh, media spokesperson for the Sikh Coordination Committee East Coast, said the protest was intended to send a message that the Sikh diaspora would continue to raise issues concerning its human, religious and political rights.
He said the community would pursue such issues through legal and peaceful means in the US and other democratic countries and would raise allegations of transnational repression against Sikhs with governments and human rights organisations.
Surjit Singh Klar, Dr Bakshish Singh, Balwinder Singh Chatha, Santokh Singh Indiana, Harminder Singh Aluwalia, Balaka Singh, Jagpreet Singh Jaig Baba, Joga Singh New Jersey and Rajinder Singh were among those who addressed or attended the gathering.
Young Sikh leaders, including Japneet Singh and Gurpartap Singh, also participated in the protest and shared their views.
The Sikh Coordination Committee said the demonstration outside Madison Square Garden was intended to highlight issues concerning minority rights, religious freedom, human rights and Sikh self-determination on an international platform.
The committee said it would seek to strengthen cooperation with other religious and human rights organisations in the coming months and continue raising these issues through democratic and legal channels.
It also thanked gurdwara management committees, Panthic organisations, Sikh youth, human rights activists and members of the Sikh community who travelled from different states to participate in the protest.