 | |
| Abbreviation | HfHR |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2019 |
| Founder | Sunita Viswanath, Raju Rajagopal, Deepak Gupta, Sapthagiri Iyengar, Sunil Sakhalkar, Punya Upadhyaya |
| 36-4952444 | |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) non-profit |
| Purpose | Pluralism, civil rights, and human rights in South Asia and North America |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Location |
|
Region served | United States, United Kingdom, Australia |
Official language | English |
| Website | www |
Hindus for Human Rights (abbr.HfHR) is a U.S.-based non-profit advocacy group founded in 2019.
The organization was founded in the summer of 2019 in the wake of Narendra Modi's re-election as Prime Minister of India. [1] It was co-founded by Sunita Viswanath, Raju Rajagopal, Deepak Gupta, Sapthagiri Iyengar, Sunil Sakhalkar, and Punya Upadhyaya. [2] [3] Advisory board members of Hindus for Human Rights include Rajmohan Gandhi, T.M. Krishna, Martin Macwan, Faisal Khan, Linda Hess, Swara Bhaskar, and Khalid Anis Ansari. [4] The UK chapter was founded in the summer of 2023.
Hindus for Human Rights has protested against the Howdy Modi rally in 2019 [5] and the Citizenship Amendment Act. [6] HfHR has also organized press conferences and webinars in support of former and current activists and political prisoners in India including Sanjiv Bhatt, [7] Umar Khalid, [8] Anand Teltumbde, [9] Sudha Bharadwaj, [10] and the late Father Stan Swamy. [11]
In April 2022, Hindus for Human Rights compiled a statement asking Hindus around the world to break the "collective silence and speak out" against Hindutva-fuelled hate and violence against Muslims in India. [12]
In 2024 Hindus for Human Rights UK led campaigns against the organising of Hindu nationalist groups around the UK general election and against the fact that the “Mayor of London’s annual Diwali” event was organised by the VHP (UK) and other groups that promote or support Hindutva. HfHR UK wrote an open letter to the Mayor of London that was signed by a number of prominent South Asian diasporic organisations, party political groups, and prominent individuals.
Hindutva is a political ideology encompassing the cultural justification of Hindu nationalism and the belief in establishing Hindu hegemony within India. The political ideology was formulated by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1922. It is used by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), the current ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and other organisations, collectively called the Sangh Parivar.
Teesta Setalvad is a controversial Indian civil rights activist and journalist. She is the secretary of Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), an organisation formed to advocate for the victims of 2002 Gujarat riots.
The Hindu American Foundation is an American Hindu non-profit advocacy group founded in 2003. The organisation has its roots in the Hindu nationalist organisation Vishwa Hindu Parishad America and its student wing Hindu Students Council.
Swapan Dasgupta is an Indian journalist and politician. He is influential within the Indian right wing, writing columns for leading English dailies espousing Hindu nationalism. He was a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha. In 2015, Dasgupta was conferred with the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to literature and education.
The Hindu Forum of Britain is an umbrella organisation of Hindu groups in the United Kingdom. Scholars have observed parallels between its discourse and Hindutva organisations in India and suggest possible links.
The 2002 Gujarat riots, also known as the 2002 Gujarat violence or the Gujarat pogrom, was a three-day period of inter-communal violence in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The burning of a train in Godhra on 27 February 2002, which caused the deaths of 58 Hindu pilgrims and karsevaks returning from Ayodhya, is cited as having instigated the violence. Following the initial riot incidents, there were further outbreaks of violence in Ahmedabad for three months; statewide, there were further outbreaks of violence against the minority Muslim population of Gujarat for the next year.
Idhaya Thirudan is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language romantic action film written and directed by Saran. The film stars Jayam Ravi and Kamna Jethmalani, while Prakash Raj, Vani Viswanath, Santhanam, Kalpana, and Nassar play supporting roles. It was Jayam Ravi’s fifth film but was labelled his worst of the five. The soundtrack was composed by Bharadwaj.
The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act is an Indian law aimed at the prevention of unlawful activities associations in India. Its main objective was to make powers available for dealing with activities directed against the integrity and sovereignty of India. The most recent amendment of the law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2019 has made it possible for the Union Government to designate individuals as terrorists without following any formal judicial process. UAPA is also known as the "Anti-terror law".
R.B. Sreekumar is a former Gujarat State Director-General of Police.
Sanjiv Bhatt is a former Indian Police Service officer of the Gujarat-cadre. He is known for his role in filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court of India against the then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, concerning Modi's alleged role in the 2002 Gujarat riots. He claimed to have attended a meeting, during which Modi allegedly asked top police officials to let Hindus vent their anger against the Muslims. However, the Special Investigation Team appointed by the Supreme Court of India concluded that Bhatt did not attend any such meeting, and dismissed his allegations.
Anand Teltumbde is an Indian scholar, writer, and human rights activist who is a management professor at the Goa Institute of Management. He has written extensively about the caste system in India and has advocated for the rights of Dalits.
The Naroda Patiya massacre took place on 28 February 2002 at Naroda, in Ahmedabad, India, during the 2002 Gujarat riots. 97 Muslims were killed by a mob of approximately 5,000 people, organised by the Bajrang Dal, a wing of the Vishva Hindu Parishad, and allegedly supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party which was in power in the Gujarat State Government. The massacre at Naroda occurred during the bandh (strike) called by Vishwa Hindu Parishad a day after the Godhra train burning. The riot lasted over 10 hours, during which the mob plundered, stabbed, sexually assaulted, gang-raped and burnt people individually and in groups. After the conflict, a curfew was imposed in the state and Indian Army troops were called in to contain further violence.
Cow vigilante violence is a pattern of mob-based collective vigilante violence seen in India. The attacks are perpetuated by Hindu nationalists against non-Hindus to protect cows, which are considered sacred in Hinduism.
The 2018 battle of Bhima Koregaon refers to violence during an annual celebratory gathering on 1 January 2018 at Bhima Koregaon to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon. The violence and stone pelting by a crowd at the gathering resulted in the death of a 28-year old youth and injuries to five others. The annual celebration, also called Elgar Parishad convention, was organised by retired justices B. G. Kolse Patil and P. B. Sawant. Justice Sawant stated that the term "Elgar" meant loud invitation or loud declaration.
Arun Ferreira is an Indian activist. He was arrested in 2007 for alleged links to the Indian Naxalite movement and spent five years in prison before he was acquitted in 2012. He began a career as a criminal lawyer defending political prisoners. He was arrested again in August 2018 and is currently lodged in Taloja prison along with other accused of the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence
Howdy Modi was a community summit and mega event held on September 22, 2019, at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. The event was notable for the joint address by Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, and Donald Trump, then President of the United States, showcasing the strong ties and strategic partnerships between the two countries.
Stanislaus Lourduswamy, SJ, popularly known as Stan Swamy, was an Indian Catholic priest, a member of the Jesuit order, and a tribal rights activist for several decades. Swamy was the oldest person to be accused of terrorism in India.
Hindu Jagarana Vedike is a right wing Indian Hindu activist group affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and is accused of hate spreading. It is National Volunteer Association for men to protect the Hindus. Its stated objective is "to organise, consolidate the Hindu society and to serve and protect. the Hindu Dharma The ideology of the organisation is based on Hindutva. The main task of this organization is to stop atrocities against animals. It has many branches in different states of India. The HJV is considered a member of the Sangh Parivar group an umbrella term for Hindu nationalist organisations led by the RSS.
Sunita Viswanath is an Indian-American activist who has worked in women's and human rights organizations. She co-founded the human rights organizations Women for Afghan Women, Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus, and Hindus for Human Rights.
Hindutva pop, often referred to as H-pop, is Indian pop music that promotes Hindutva or Hindu nationalist ideas. The music has become increasingly popular in the 2010s and 2020s and frequently includes lyrics targeting Muslims in India. The songs have sometimes been played on loudspeakers by Hindu groups during violent attacks on Muslims.
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