The RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh has opened its first formal divisional office in Kashmir's Pulwama district, marking a public, permanent address for the Sangh Parivar in the Valley. While the BMS says it will focus on labour rights and workers' welfare, the move has drawn concern from regional opposition leaders.
First-ever RSS-affiliated labour office opens in Kashmir Valley
Pulwama,Oct 23, 2026 16:22 IST
A heavily guarded, single-storey building stands at the entrance to a narrow lane in the nondescript village of Barsoo in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. Security cameras overlook the entrance, armed police personnel stand guard, and steel railings encircle the premises. The only sign of what lies inside is a small board bearing the word “office”.
The building marks a significant political and organisational development: the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), the labour wing affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has inaugurated its first formal divisional office in Kashmir.
Located in Awantipora, the office marks the Sangh Parivar’s first public, permanent address in the Valley. While BMS representatives maintain that the move is aimed solely at organising local labour unions and addressing workers’ welfare without political bias, the opening has drawn sharp reactions from regional opposition leaders, who view the expanding footprint of Sangh-linked organisations with deep apprehension.
Away from the media spotlight, the RSS has reportedly continued its work quietly in the Valley, funding schools and undertaking projects to renovate temples in border areas.
The public inauguration of the BMS office marks a departure from this largely low-profile presence, bringing a Sangh-affiliated organisation into a formal, permanent space in the Valley.
“Our purpose is to fight for the rights and dignity of every labourer. They give 100 per cent to nation-building. We are not concerned about where a labourer comes from or which ideology they follow,” Sameer Kuchay, the BMS’s Kashmir in-charge, told India Today.
“We are not interested in religion. Our focus is on putting India first and helping in nation-building. We will fight for workers’ dignity. This will also aid the development of Pulwama,” said the 36-year-old.
- Ends