THE INDIAN Workers’ Association (IWA) slammed the Central Gurdwara in London today for secretly hosting the head of a far-right paramilitary organisation.

A visit from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat at the historic Sikh place of worship in west London sparked a backlash from community organisations.

The RSS is an umbrella of community organisations and paramilitary bodies aligned with India’s ruling BJP, which actually originated as the civilian wing of the RSS. It is regularly accused of organising violent attacks on religious minorities in India as well as against secular political parties and women’s groups.

The IWA accused the leadership of the Khalsa Jatha British Isles Gurdwara of hiding the private visit as the wider congregations would have “vehemently opposed the presence of an ideology that fuels division and hostility.”

A statement from the group said the Gurdwara played an “irreplaceable and revered chapter in the history of India’s freedom struggle” when it became a safe haven for revolutionaries resisting British imperialism during the 20th century.

“It was within the walls of this very institution that the legendary martyr Sardar Udham Singh lived, found community, and performed his final prayers before executing his historic act of resistance against colonial oppression,” they added.

“To open the doors of such an emblem of anti-colonial liberation to the leader of the RSS is a profound insult to the memory of our martyrs and the values they died defending.”

And the Sikh Federation said that no apology or explanation could undo the damage caused by welcoming the head of the RSS, adding that “dozens of gurdwaras, Sikh organisations, and individuals had contacted it to express their outrage.”

Its strategy board chair Bhai Amrik Singh said that the RSS is not a normal religious or cultural organisation but “a political and ideological movement whose influence has repeatedly fuelled division, intimidation and hostility towards minorities.”