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Student and civil rights groups question UT Dallas event on RSS founder
Coalition urges university to review the event promoting the biography of Hindu nationalist leader Keshav Baliram Hedgewar.
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Pranavi Sharma - Thu, 30, Oct 2025
- 03:21 EDT
- 82
Poster of the event. / Hindu YUVA
A coalition of student organizations and civil rights groups has raised concern over an upcoming event at the University of Texas at Dallas featuring a book about Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, founder of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which they describe as a “fascist paramilitary organization".
In a letter to the university’s leadership, the coalition said the book talk, hosted by the UTD chapter of Hindu YUVA on Oct. 30, promotes a “whitewashed” view of Hedgewar and the RSS. The groups said, “Hedgewar founded the RSS in 1925 with an ideological mission to transform India into a Hindu-majoritarian state. Under his leadership and its successors, this movement contributed to and continues to fuel discrimination, hate speech, and mob violence against India’s minorities.”
The letter warned that presenting such an event in an academic setting “implicitly validates a worldview that denies equal dignity to minority communities and has incited real-world violence”. It urged the university to consider whether hosting “a celebration of a paramilitary ideological founder” aligns with its stated commitment to diversity and safety.
The biography’s promotional material describes Hedgewar as a “controversial, yet extraordinary man” and offers what it calls a “nuanced perspective” on his role. The author, Sachin Nandha, who identifies himself as a philosopher rather than a historian, has publicly compared Hedgewar to Jesus and described him as “not a bigot”, but a “complex and subtle thinker".
Hindu YUVA, which is organizing the event, is affiliated with the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS), the U.S. chapter of the RSS. The coalition’s letter said the group has “been repeatedly linked to organized campaigns targeting scholars and student groups who speak critically about Hindu nationalism".
The signatories argued that allowing the event “sends a deeply harmful signal to Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Dalit, and other caste-oppressed South Asian students at UTD.” They added that many students have expressed “fear, discomfort, and distress” over what they see as the glorification of a figure associated with violence against their communities.
The letter cited reports from human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, identifying the RSS as a movement that promotes ‘Hindu supremacist’ ideology. It also referenced historical statements by Hedgewar’s successor, M.S. Golwalkar, who praised Nazi Germany and described Muslims and Christians as internal threats to India.
Nandha has presented his book at other U.S. universities, including Purdue, Pittsburgh, and UC Davis. His UC Davis event was canceled after opposition from student groups.
The letter was signed by the Indian American Muslim Council, Hindus for Human Rights, Dallas Peace and Justice Center, and several student organizations at UT Dallas, including the South Asian Pre-Law Student Association, Red Rose Collective, Rainbow Guard, and Environmental Conservation Organization.
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