By News Desk

n the sweltering heat of July 2025, New York City’s political landscape was thrust into a new controversy when Mayor Eric Adams abruptly canceled his scheduled appearance at a Queens event featuring Kajal Hindusthani, a Hindu activist whose inflammatory rhetoric has sparked outrage across religious communities in both the United States and India.

The Canceled Appearance

According to reporting by Arun Venugopal of Gothamist, Adams was initially billed as the “guest of honor” for a July 16 event in Fresh Meadows, Queens, organized by the Gujarati Samaj of New York alongside other local Hindu and Indian-American groups. The event was part of the organization’s 50th anniversary celebrations, and Adams had attended similar gatherings in the past, including Diwali celebrations.

However, five days after agreeing to attend, Adams withdrew from the event without explanation, according to Harshad Patel, president of the Gujarati Samaj of New York. City Hall staffer Zachary Nosanchuk would only confirm that the event was not on Adams’ official schedule and that the mayor did not endorse Hindusthani’s views.

Who is Kajal Hindusthani?

Kajal Hindusthani, who also goes by the name Kajal Shingala according to her personal website, has emerged as one of the most controversial figures in contemporary Hindu nationalism. She identifies herself as an entrepreneur, research analyst, debater, social activist, and nationalist and a ‘proud Indian’ on her Twitter bio and has more than 92,000 followers including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and is a regular at events organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Outlook India reported.

The Hindu activist has drawn international attention for her inflammatory statements targeting Muslims. The well-known Hindu activist has drawn fire for calling Muslims “bloodthirsty zombies” in a speech earlier this year. Hindusthani also faced criticism for purportedly urging Hindus to boycott Muslim businesses during an appearance in Dallas last month, according to Gothamist’s reporting.

Hindusthani’s controversial statements extend beyond recent speeches. In a 2021 Instagram video, she alleged that young Muslim men “get money from the madrasa to entrap Hindu girls” into marriage, using the term for an Islamic school. “You get trapped with these jihadis and in the end, you will either be found chopped up in a suitcase or burnt alive or according to New York Focus.

This story was originally published in americankahani.com. Read the full story here.