Organisers of Mohan Bhagwat's New York event claim X account was blocked, later restored

The X account of @AheadForum1, which posted updates about the Universal Oneness Celebrations, remained "unavailable" to users and was restored after intervention from X.
In this image received on Aug. 25, 2026, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat being received on his arrival John F. Kennedy International Airport ahead of the Raksha Bandhan festival, in New York, United States.
In this image received on Aug. 25, 2026, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat being received on his arrival John F. Kennedy International Airport ahead of the Raksha Bandhan festival, in New York, United States.(Photo | PTI)
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The organisation hosting RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's event in New York on Thursday claimed that its X account was blocked for several hours by what it described as "misguided opponents."

The X account of American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD) Forum – @AheadForum1, which posted updates about the Universal Oneness Celebrations, remained "unavailable" to users and was restored after intervention from X.

"We are back up! We got 'botted' by misguided opponents who tried to game the X algorithm and get our handle blocked," AHEAD said in a post on X.

"A big thank you to @X @Support for the prompt response, restoring our account and clearing out the bots," the organisation said.

The account had been posting updates about Bhagwat's programme at the Infosys Theater at the Madison Square Garden (MSG) on August 29.

The account had posted videos and messages from leaders of religious organisations participating in Universal Oneness Celebrations which is billed as an inter-faith gathering where the RSS chief is scheduled to interact with a diverse, multi-cultural and multi-faith audience.

The event has been facing criticism from outfits such as Hindus for Human Rights, Save America from Hindutva, Indian American Muslim Council and Dalit Solidarity Forum among others.

The outfits have been reaching out to lawmakers and government officials urging them to cancel the event in New York, accusing the organisation of perpetrating attacks against religious minorities in India.

AHEAD is one of approximately 200-plus organisations supporting the Universal Oneness Celebrations.

(With inputs from PTI)

In this image received on Aug. 25, 2026, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat being received on his arrival John F. Kennedy International Airport ahead of the Raksha Bandhan festival, in New York, United States.
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In this image received on Aug. 25, 2026, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat being received on his arrival John F. Kennedy International Airport ahead of the Raksha Bandhan festival, in New York, United States.
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