On 21st September, Scroll published an article attempting to dismiss Hinduphobia as nothing more than a “myth.” According to the author of the article, Raju Rajagopal, who happens to be the co-founder of the anti-Hindu organisation Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR), Hinduphobia is a concept manufactured by “Hindutva” groups in the US in a bid to mimic the “victimhood narrative” of White supremacists and Zionists. Both the author and Scroll conveniently ignored in the article that Hinduphobia is very real, and the growing anti-Hindu sentiment across the West is concerning.
The connection of the author to HfHR, which Scroll has uncritically promoted by publishing the article as if it were written by a noble warrior for justice, is a sinister attempt to water down the problems faced by Hindus in foreign countries, including the United States. It is no coincidence that these groups are funded by organisations like the Tides Foundation, which itself has been implicated in funding pro-Hamas rallies in US universities.
The article was essentially a rant against Hindu groups opposing California Assembly Bill 3027, which claims to be designed to combat “transnational repression.” In reality, the bill, its supporters, and the nexus behind them are openly promoting Hinduphobia which will lead to a problematic future for the Hindu community living in the US in the coming days.
California’s Assembly Bill 3027: A Trojan Horse against Indian Americans
At the heart of the debate in the article is the controversial California Assembly Bill 3027. The bill claims to be designed to combat “transnational repression,” a catch-all term meant to address issues including alleged extrajudicial killings, cyber harassment, and surveillance by foreign governments. On the surface, the bill may seem noble at first glance, but it is deeply problematic.
It must be noted that the bill is being lobbied by pro-Khalistani elements as if it becomes law, it will hold the Government of India responsible for any attack on Khalistani elements in the US. Furthermore, it is a well-known fact that Khalistani terrorists and pro-Khalistani elements, such as Sikhs For Justice founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, live freely in the US. Such elements regularly threaten India’s sovereignty by seeking the formation of a separate Sikh state called Khalistan.
This bill can be wielded as a weapon against the Government of India as well as Indian Americans who support the GoI’s efforts to combat terrorism, specifically when it comes to the well-documented threat of Khalistani terrorism. The bill deliberately blurs the line between legitimate actions by democratically elected governments and the tactics employed by authoritarian regimes like those of China and Russia.
The bill’s text makes it clear that it targets countries like India, as it equates its efforts to tackle Khalistani terrorism with transnational repression. However, it overlooks the fact that the Indian government’s counter-terrorism measures are not only legal but necessary to ensure the safety of its citizens, both within and outside its borders. It is a documented fact that Khalistani elements often attack Indian consulates on foreign soil, making it difficult for Indian officials posted there to work properly.
Unlike China or Iran, which use extrajudicial means to silence political dissidents, India is engaged in a fight against radical elements that threaten the peace and unity of both India and its diaspora. The bill, however, paints the Indian government’s legitimate counter-terrorism actions as repression, which is intellectually dishonest and dangerous. Such tactics will empower separatist groups like the Khalistanis, who have long targeted Hindu communities both in India and abroad.
The most recent example is the threat issued by Pannun to Indian Americans who attended Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s event. He openly asked them to leave the US after the successful event.
Transnational Repression Reporting Act of 2024
Bill 3027 is not the only proposed law that is on the lines of combating so-called transnational repression. A member of the American House of Representatives, Adam Schiff, introduced the Transnational Repression Reporting Act of 2024, which would require the Attorney General and other relevant federal agencies to report cases of alleged transnational repression against people in the US. Adam Schiff was one of the lawmakers who met pro-Khalistani Sikh groups before US President Joe Biden met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
While introducing the act, Schiff said, “With transnational repression on the rise, the American people deserve to know if foreign governments are working to intimidate, harass, harm or kill individuals within the United States whom they view as hostile to their regimes.”
Hindus are right to oppose Bill 3027
Hindus in the US, particularly through advocacy groups like the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), have opposed Bill 3027. They have labelled it a poorly drafted attempt to criminalise support for India’s fight against terrorism. The concerns that these groups have raised are not unfounded. Several Indian Americans, specifically Hindus, stand with India’s efforts to tackle the ongoing threat posed by radical elements, including pro-Khalistanis, who openly target Hindu temples and communities across the US.
For instance, Hindu temples in the US have been defaced and vandalised several times over the past few years, especially when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the US or during special events like Republic Day, Independence Day, or the anniversary of Operation Blue Star—the 1984 Indian Army operation to eliminate Khalistani terrorists hiding in Shri Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar. Hindu temples become easy targets for anti-India and anti-Hindu elements.
These acts, which have been conveniently overlooked by Scroll and the author of the article in their glowing endorsement of the bill, reflect a clear pattern of anti-Hindu violence prominently happening in the US. That Scroll dares to dismiss such acts of Hinduphobia as isolated incidents or mere political protests is an insult to the victims of this violence, the Hindu community.
The passage of this bill would not only make it easier for separatist elements to claim victimhood, but it would also empower them to paint legitimate counter-terrorism actions by the Government of India as “transnational repression.” In simple terms, Scroll and their ideological allies have decided that Hindus have no right to defend their faith, culture, and homeland against radicals, which is an extremely concerning trend.
Interestingly, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund is one of the supporters of the funds. It is one of the organisations that met US officials a day before Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met. The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) is careful about not directly siding with Khalistani propaganda. However, its social media posts suggest that the organisation is a Khalistani sympathiser. In September 2023, they shared a post on Facebook targeting the Government of India for its crackdown on Khalistani separatist leader turned politician Amritpal Singh and the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of Nijjar’s murder. In a post, they wrote, “Less than two years after the Farmers’ Protest ended, the Amritpal Singh manhunt began, and now we learn of the Indian government’s alleged involvement in the murder of Harry Singh Nijjar.”
In February 2024, they released a report titled “Virtually Vulnerable” in association with Equality Labs, Hindus for Human Rights, and IAMC, all of which are anti-India organisations, with two having proven links to terrorist organisations. In the report, they claimed that whenever the Indian state wants to silence Sikh voices, they label them as “Khalistanis,” which is completely false. They cited examples of Amritpal Singh, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and pro-Khalistani Sikhs who supported the controversial anti-caste bill SB403, which was based on a report by Equality Labs. There is evidence that all these individuals are directly or indirectly linked to the Khalistani movement.
Hinduphobia in the West: A growing reality
The Scroll article claimed that Hinduphobia is nothing more than a manufactured concept. They called it an attempt by “so-called Hindutva” groups to emulate the tactics of Zionists and White supremacists. The assertion made in the article falls flat when faced with hard evidence. Hinduphobia is not only a reality, but there is evidence that it has been increasing, particularly in Western countries like the US, Canada, and the UK, where Hindus have faced growing hostility.
Numerous Hindu temples have been defaced. Hindus are attacked for using symbols of faith. For example, the 2023 attacks on Hindus in Leicester following a cricket match went on for months. Western media tried to paint Hindus in a bad light and portrayed Muslims, who attacked Hindus, their homes, and establishments, as victims.
From threats given by Khalistani terrorists like Gurpatwant Singh Pannun to attacks on Hindu temples, like the iconic BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, such incidents have become common. If this is not Hinduphobia, then what is? This is hardly the ‘myth’ that Scroll wants its readers to believe.
Far from being an exaggerated narrative of victimhood, Hinduphobia is very real. To claim that Hindutva groups are ‘playing the victim card’ by bringing attention to these acts is not only dismissive but an endorsement of hate.
Hindus for Human Rights: The wolf in sheep’s clothing
For someone unfamiliar with the organisation Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR), the name might suggest it is a Hindu organisation working for the welfare of the Hindu community. In reality, it is no less than a wolf in sheep’s clothing. What makes Scroll’s article even more dangerous is the fact that they gave a platform to an organisation like HfHR, which has a long history of anti-Hindu and anti-India activities.
The organisation has been at the forefront of pushing anti-Hindu narratives in the US. It has consistently positioned itself as a defender of human rights while pursuing a darker agenda. The organisation is funded by the likes of the Tides Foundation, an entity linked to funding pro-Hamas rallies on US university campuses. HfHR’s advocacy efforts often align with those of separatist and extremist groups hostile to Hindu interests.
The Tides Foundation itself has been implicated in numerous activities that go beyond mere political advocacy. As documented in OpIndia’s dossier on Wikipedia, Tides is involved in financing several anti-India and anti-Hindu organisations, pushing narratives that distort India’s human rights record and defame Hindu cultural symbols and practices. Their funding of pro-Hamas rallies in US universities further highlights the dubious nature of their agenda. That HfHR receives financial backing from such a source is a clear sign of the broader anti-Hindu nexus being formed in the name of ‘human rights.’ It must be noted that HfHR is not just another benign human rights group. It is part of a coordinated effort to delegitimise Hindu voices in the global diaspora.
Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR) which is an open anti-Hindu and anti-India organisation based out of the US. The organisation presents itself as a defender of human rights. However, its blatant anti-Hindu narrative has been exposed several times. HfHR often uses Hindu symbols and teachings to push its narrative. HfHR does not take a breath before criticising Hindu practices and beliefs. Their selective outrage and twisted interpretations of Hindu text, as she did here, suggest that their primary goal is not to protect human rights but to erode Hindu identity from the face of the earth by smearing it with false narratives.
HfHR was formed in the year 2019 by the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) and the Organization for Minorities of India (OFMI). Interestingly, the three organisations had formed another outfit called the Alliance for Justice and Accountability (AJA). As per an article in The Hindu, the Alliance for Justice and Accountability had been at the forefront of leading demonstrations against the visit of PM Modi to Houston on September 22, 2019. Sunita Vishwanath, the co-founder of ‘Hindus for Human Rights’ had also tried to create hysteria and panic among Indian Muslims about the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in 2019.
In 2021, ‘Hindus for Human Rights’ also endorsed the anti-Hindu event ‘Dismantling Global Hindutva’ conference. It also came up with a “special toolkit” to propagate against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his State visit to the US in June 2023. In June last year, Congress scion Rahul Gandhi was seen sitting alongside Sunita Vishwanath during an event hosted by the Hudson Institute. In October 2023, the X (formerly Twitter) account of HfHR was withheld in India in response to a legal demand.
A call for vigilance
The article by Scroll dismisses Hinduphobia as a myth and glorifies groups like HfHR. This trend is not just biased but also dangerous as it denies the reality of Hinduphobia and supports legislation like California’s Assembly Bill 3027. The scroll has given credence to separatist, extremist elements while simultaneously undermining the legitimate concerns of Hindu communities.
The Hindu community needs to stay vigilant and continue to oppose bills like 3027, which seek to vilify India’s fight against extremism. It is equally important to call out platforms like Scroll that amplify Hinduphobic rhetoric. Hinduphobia is not a myth—it is a growing reality, and we must address it before it is too late.
