CHICAGO, IL — Hindus for Human Rights issued the following statement in response to the scheduled appearance of Sadhvi Rithambara at the Hanuman Temple of Greater Chicago on April 19, 2025:
As Hindus deeply committed to justice, nonviolence, and the dignity of all people, we are alarmed by the Hanuman Temple of Greater Chicago’s decision to host Sadhvi Rithambara, a figure with a long record of hate speech and communal incitement, to give a spiritual talk to temple devotees.
While Sadhvi Rithambara is regarded in some circles as a spiritual teacher, she is widely known for spreading inflammatory and dangerous rhetoric as a leader in India’s Hindu supremacist movement. She is the founder of the Durga Vahini, the women’s wing of the militant Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), and has repeatedly engaged in hate speech against Indian Christians and Muslims.
This goes beyond basic rhetoric— her language catalyzes tangible instances of division, fear, and communal violence. Rithambara’s speeches have been described by experts as “the single most powerful instrument for whipping up anti-Muslim violence,” and she was named by India’s own government as one of the key figures responsible for inciting the mob that demolished the Babri Masjid in 1992.
Her history has triggered widespread community pushback in the past:
In September 2022, her appearance in Norcross, Georgia drew over 2,000 protest letters and a large public demonstration from community members opposing the hate politics that she represents.
That same month, Rithambara’s scheduled talk at the Old Paramus Reformed Church in New Jersey was canceled after public pressure.
In the United Kingdom, an entire tour featuring events in Birmingham, Nottingham, Coventry, Ilford, and London was called off after public campaigns and interventions by Members of Parliament.
These cancellations were not about censorship—they were about conscience. They reflected a growing recognition that temples, churches, and other sacred spaces should never be used to legitimize hate. Our Hindu faith teaches us the values of love, tolerance, and compassion, rooted in the recognition that the Divine exists in all living beings and expressed in the teaching of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—the world is one family.
The hatred and division that Sadhvi Rithambara preaches are a grotesque perversion of these sacred ideals, and they do not represent the Hinduism that we at Hindus for Human Rights hold dear. Speaking out against this hate is our dharma—our sacred spiritual duty—and in this spirit, we respectfully call on the Hanuman Temple of Greater Chicago to follow that example and withdraw its invitation to host Sadhvi Rithambara.
Lord Hanuman stands for selfless service, loyalty, and moral clarity. Let his temple stand as a place of refuge and welcome for all, not a platform for voices of exclusion and division.
We urge the temple to cancel this event and recommit to the spirit of love and justice that defines our Hindu faith at its best.
