X account blocked for several hours, rues organisation hosting Bhagwat's New York event

The American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD) Forum faced a technical setback when its X account was temporarily locked by unidentified adversaries on Thursday, August 27, 2026. The account, @AheadForum1, had been sharing updates regarding RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's upcoming event in New York. The Universal Oneness Celebrations were set to take place at the Infosys Theatre of the Madison Square Garden (MSG) on August 29.

The celebration aimed to be an interfaith gathering, with the RSS chief scheduled to engage with a diverse, multicultural, and multi-faith audience. However, the account's service was disrupted due to malicious actors attempting to manipulate the X algorithm to have the handle blocked. The organization behind the event, AHEAD, expressed gratitude to X Support for their swift response in restoring the account and clearing the bots that caused the issue.

The Universal Oneness Celebrations have faced criticism from various groups, including Hindus for Human Rights, Save America from Hindutva, the Indian American Muslim Council, and the Dalit Solidarity Forum. These groups have been lobbying lawmakers and government officials to cancel the event, accusing AHEAD of supporting attacks against religious minorities in India. AHEAD is one of approximately 200 organizations backing the Universal Oneness Celebrations.