Top News

New Delhi: Two Canadian lawmakers have called on the Mark Carney government to bar Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat from entering the country and ban the organisation he heads, adding to opposition in some quarters of Canada ahead of his proposed visit.

In the August 7 open letter to the ministers of public safety, foreign affairs, and immigration, refugees and citizenship, MPs Heather McPherson and Jenny Kwan said, “Bhagwat’s presence in Canada would be a danger to Canadians. He is not welcome here.”

The MPs went on to request the ministers to declare Bhagwat inadmissible “on account of his history of hate speech, advocacy of violence against religious minorities, targeted intimidation of critics in India and in Canada, and his association with criminal organizations and listed terrorist organizations.”

Adding that Muslims, Sikhs, Dalits, and other minorities have been targeted in India, the MPs said, “The vile murder of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, reportedly involving senior Indian leadership of the BJP—a member of the RSS—further requires your government to take action to protect Canadians from the violent extremism that is enabled and perpetrated by RSS and its members.”

They signed off with, “Now is the time to ban the RSS and its members from Canada.”

Bhagwat’s itinerary

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is scheduled to make his first visit to Canada at the end of this month. In a post on X, RSS Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar said, “Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) Sarsanghachalak (chief) Dr Mohan Bhagwat ji will be visiting the USA, Canada, and the UK from August 25, 2026, on the invitation from overseas local associations and organisations. This coincides with the ongoing centenary year of RSS.”

Bhagwat is expected to meet representatives of the Indian diaspora and various local organisations.

Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was the chief of the separatist organisation Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and the head of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib in Surrey, Canada. A Canadian resident, he was shot down in June 2023 outside a gurdwara. The killing strained the ties between India and Canada, as the then Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau alleged that security agencies had credible evidence linking the Indian government to the murder. The US, in a multinational effort, charged the Lawrence Bishnoi gang with the murder.

ADVERTISEMENT