Washington: A US-based advocacy group of Hindu-Americans has issued a community alert for those attending RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s event in New York, urging them to avoid confrontation with activists opposing the programme on Saturday.

According to a PTI report, the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), a US-based non-profit, has warned of attempts to disrupt and cancel the Universal Oneness Celebrations, featuring Bhagwat, scheduled for Saturday at the Infosys Theatre at Madison Square Garden.

This is after Hindus for Human Rights and other like-minded organisations planned protests outside Madison Square Garden on Saturday coinciding with the event featuring the RSS chief.

“Mohan Bhagwat does not represent Hindus. He leads an extremist Hindu nationalist movement that has fuelled violence, exclusion and fear for minority communities,” said Sravya Tadepalli, Deputy Executive Director of Hindus for Human Rights.

The HAF has also urged New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani to uphold his sworn duty to protect all New Yorkers, including those attending the event at Madison Square Garden and guarantee everyone’s safety and civil rights.

“If you’re attending: Be civil, respect everyone’s right to assemble, protest, and express their views,” the HAF said.

It asked the attendees to be vigilant of the surroundings and report anything suspicious to law enforcement authorities.

“If you feel threatened, leave the area and contact event security or law enforcement. Call 911 in an emergency. Avoid confrontations or altercations with anyone making provocative or threatening statements,” the HAF said.

It also asked attendees to report hate incidents, threats, vandalism, suspicious activity, or other crimes to security or law enforcement.

(With PTI inputs)