Belagavi is preparing to host one of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s key organisational meetings this week, with chief Mohan Bhagwat and most of the organisation’s senior national leadership expected to attend a three-day gathering that will review its activities, set priorities for the coming year and discuss national issues.
The meeting of convenors from RSS units across the country is scheduled to begin on Friday at Sangha Sadan near Kapileshwar Bridge. Along with Bhagwat, Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale and Sah Sarkaryavah Krishna Gopal are expected to participate, alongside senior functionaries CR Mukunda, Arun Kumar, Ramdatt, Alok Kumar and Atul Limaye.
National office bearers, regional and state level leaders, convenors of 32 affiliated organisations, All India Karya Vibhag Pramukhs and members of the RSS executive council are also expected to attend.
According to leaders familiar with the preparations, the agenda includes the concluding phase of the RSS centenary celebrations, plans to expand urban shakhas with a particular focus on information technology professionals, business communities and other working professionals, preparations for the organisation’s 2026 training camps, and national subjects including the forthcoming Census.
The gathering will also examine organisational matters involving the RSS and its affiliates, review ongoing activities and decide the organisation’s future course. Bhagwat is expected to remain in Belagavi for about a week.
{{/usCountry}}The gathering will also examine organisational matters involving the RSS and its affiliates, review ongoing activities and decide the organisation’s future course. Bhagwat is expected to remain in Belagavi for about a week.
{{/usCountry}}Authorities have introduced extensive security measures ahead of the event.
Deputy commissioner Mohammad Roshan has prohibited the use of drones and other aerial devices over locations where senior RSS leaders are scheduled to stay. An order issued under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, declares a two kilometre radius around three venues as a no fly zone until July 14.
The order bars the operation of unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned aircraft systems, drones and paragliders in those areas.
Officials said the restrictions had been imposed to ensure security and public safety. Additional civil and reserve police personnel are also being deployed across the city.
The meeting is also set to coincide with a planned demonstration by the Constitution Protection Committee.
District coordinator Maradi Jambaiah Nayak said the committee would hold a protest march on July 8 from 10 am, beginning near Vadakaraya Temple and ending at Ambedkar Circle, in support of home minister Priyank Kharge’s demand that the RSS register as an organisation.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Nayak said the RSS had not adequately answered questions raised by Kharge. “Every association and organisation has to function within the framework of the Constitution, and the same rule applies to RSS as well. Therefore, the association must register,” he said.
Another committee leader, Somashekhara Santhamane, said RSS workers carrying sticks functioned “like a paramilitary force”, creating concerns about internal unrest. He also alleged that the organisation received substantial donations from abroad without providing accounts and said registration was necessary to ensure transparency in its functioning.