US academic conference on ‘Dismantling Global Hindutva’ targeted by Hindu groups days before event
Indian speakers at conference receive threat emails, gets trolled on Twitter
Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, writes to Home Minister Shah demanding action against Indian participants
Boston, US: The first American academic conference on ‘Dismantling Global Hindutva’ is being widely targeted by right-wing activists in India and elsewhere. The three-day conference is scheduled to take place from September 10-12.
Cosponsored by departments and centers of more than 53 universities, most of them from the US, including Harvard, Stanford, and Princeton, the “Dismantling Global Hindutva” conference will discuss various issues relating to the Hindu supremacist ideology in India and elsewhere, an Al-Jazeera report stated.
Various panels on global Hindutva, caste oppression, Islamophobia, and the persecution of minorities in India, will be held during the conference and will feature more than 25 academicians, activists, and journalists as speakers.
Over the past three weeks, the organizers and speakers of the conference have been on a receiving end of harassment and intimidation by various Hindu right-wing groups and individuals staunchly opposing the conference, calling it a “Hinduphobic gathering”.
The organizers insist the conference only aims to discuss the global implications of Hindutva and develop resources for an anti-Hindutva pedagogy in the academy, the Al-Jazeera report further stated.
Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, a far-right group whose members are accused of assassinating journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh in 2017, also wrote to India’s Union Home Minister Amit Shah, calling on him to take action against India-based speakers and participants of the conference.
Nandani Sundar, who is set to take part in the conference as a speaker said she has been receiving hateful emails and was trolled on Twitter.
“This is what Hindutva groups have been doing in India – shutting down seminars by threatening the organizers, physical disruption, etc. Now they are doing the same thing globally,” Sundar was quoted as saying by Al-Jazeera.
Over the past three weeks, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA), the Coalition of Hindus in North America (CoHNA), and the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) claim to have collectively sent more than 1.3 million emails to dozens of universities to withdraw their support for the conference.
David Ludden, professor of history at New York University, one of the co-sponsoring schools, acknowledged receiving thousands of emails but says his department will not back out.
“Administrators did receive emails claiming that the conference represents an anti-Hindu ideology. They reached out to me and I explained that this is an academic conference aimed at expanding the production of knowledge about Hindutva, including a critical analysis of its claim to represent Hindus, Hinduism, and Indian culture,” Ludden was quoted by Al Jazeera.
“The campaign against the conference is meant to both shut down the conference and send a clear signal to all critics of Hindutva,” conference organizers told Al Jazeera in an emailed statement.
Last week, more than 50 South Asian diaspora organizations, 937 academics from across the world, including scholars of genocide and mass violence, issued a statement in support of the conference and called for an end to the Hindu right-wing attacks on academic freedom.
“The campaign of intimidation carried out by Hindutva affiliates cannot be allowed to take root in the academy in the US, Europe, or around the world. Free speech must be protected,” said the statement.
Dr. Audrey Truschke, Associate Professor of South Asian history at Rutgers University-Newark wrote a detailed thread on Twitter about the whole situation.
“We are watching as right-wing Hindu American groups harass, intimidate, and endanger academics, including students. What you're doing is beyond unacceptable. It is unethical, hate-mongering, and very, very dangerous. Stop. Now.” She wrote in one of her tweets from the thread.
She also explained how groups should react to the rise of Hindutva who are promoting intolerance in the name of Hinduism.
We are watching as right-wing Hindu American groups harass, intimidate, and endanger academics, including students.
— Dr. Audrey Truschke (@AudreyTruschke) September 5, 2021
What you're doing is beyond unacceptable. It is unethical, hate mongering, and very, very dangerous. Stop. Now. #Hindutva
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Delhi HC directs removal of content linking Hardeep Puri's daughter to Jeffrey Epstein
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the removal of social media content linking Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri's daughter to convicted American sex offender late Jeffrey Epstein within 24 hours.
Justice Mini Pushkarna also restrained several users from publishing, circulating or disseminating such content on social media platforms in any manner.
The judge, who was hearing a lawsuit filed by Hardeep Puri’s daughter, Himayani Puri, clarified that if social media users did not remove the posts, the concerned platforms shall take down or block access to such content.
The court also observed that Himayani Puri has a prima facie case in her favour and she will suffer irreparable injury if interim relief is not granted.
“Consequently, till the next date of hearing, the following directions are issued,” the court said, while listing the case for further hearing in August.
Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for the plaintiff, said she has a "global reputation" to protect as a finance professional and that the allegations against her were “completely false, reckless and malicious”.
Calling the allegations a “figment of imagination”, Jethmalani argued that there was an “orchestrated attack” on the plaintiff, arising from “personal and political malice”.
He said the defamatory content was published and shared by users who were “self-proclaimed journalists” or content creators.
Jethmalani also told the court that the plaintiff was a resident of New York and urged the court to pass an order to block the defamatory content globally.
Senior advocate Arvind Datar, appearing for Meta Platforms, submitted that such orders were not passed in any country and that the blocking of objectionable content was done country-wise.
He informed the court that the issue of a global blocking was pending before a division bench of the high court.
Restricting the take-down order to India at this stage, the court issued summonses on the lawsuit to the users and social media platforms, asking them to file their responses in the main case as well as the application for interim relief.
For content uploaded outside India, the social media platforms will block access to it in India, the court clarified.
The lawyer for one of the defendants submitted that his video was in pursuance of "journalistic freedom" and that free journalism should be protected.
The court observed that the matter required consideration and asked the defendants to file their replies.
In her lawsuit seeking Rs 10 crore as damages and an order to restrain several entities from disseminating defamatory content, Himayani Puri claimed there was a “coordinated and malicious online campaign” to link her to Epstein and his crimes.
She also sought an unconditional apology and retraction from the defendant entities.
"Commencing on or around 22.02.2026, a series of false, misleading and defamatory posts, articles, videos and digital material were published, disseminated and amplified across social media and intermediary platforms including inter alia X, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, digital news portals and other web-based publications,” the plea said.
Himayani Puri also said that she is an accomplished finance and investment professional who is being targeted solely because she is the daughter of the Union minister for petroleum and natural gas.
According to her lawsuit, the defendants disseminated "baseless imputations" that Himayani Puri maintained direct or indirect business, financial or personal network links with Epstein.
“The allegations are entirely false, malicious and devoid of factual foundation,” the plea said.
The Epstein files refer to thousands of pages of documents related to two criminal investigations into sex trafficking by Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, including travel logs, recordings and emails, which have been a topic of conversation since Epstein died in custody in 2019.
