When California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed Senate Bill 509 a controversial piece of legislation marketed as an attempt to “combat transnational repression” he may not have realised the ideological firestorm it would ignite. But to those who have followed the rising tide of Hinduphobia and anti-India sentiment festering in certain American activist circles, the aftermath of the veto came as no surprise.
Within hours, the Washington-based group Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR), known for its consistent record of targeting Hindu organisations and defending anti-India agitators, issued a furious statement attacking three prominent Hindu-American advocacy groups HinduPACT, Hindu American Foundation (HAF), and Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA). Their grievance: that these groups had successfully educated the California Governor’s office about the discriminatory implications of the proposed law.
#HinduHating and #Indiaphobic #HindusforHumanRights has called us out for playing a key role in the veto of CA #SB509 – #TransnationalRepression bill. We are glad that our #TNR report played key role in educating @CAgovernor#Khalistanis calling us foreign agents and #H4HR…
— HinduPACT (@HinduPACT) October 18, 2025
In a social media statement, HinduPACT acknowledged the criticism with defiance, “#HinduHating and #Indiaphobic #HindusForHumanRights has called us out for playing a key role in the veto of CA #SB509 – #TransnationalRepression bill. We are glad that our #TNR report played a key role in educating Governor Newsom.”
But HfHR’s reaction revealed more than outrage it exposed the ideological playbook of a network that has long thrived on vilifying Hindus and maligning India’s image abroad.
In its official release, HfHR accused Hindu organisations of “spreading lies, fear, and misinformation” to promote a “right-wing ideological agenda,” claiming that these groups “shield the Government of India from accountability” and “intimidate critics.”
Their statement went even further making a bizarre, evidence-free allegation that HinduPACT has actively engaged in transnational repression against HfHR and its colleagues.
“By allowing such bad-faith actors to shape the narrative,” HfHR claimed, “this veto empowers those who seek to silence critics, weaken democratic safeguards, and divide immigrant communities already under threat from foreign interference.”
The irony of the statement was not lost on observers. HfHR’s rhetoric mirrored the language often deployed by Khalistani separatists, who habitually brand Hindu advocacy groups as “foreign agents” and “extensions of the Indian state.” HinduPACT pointed out this hypocrisy succinctly:
“#Khalistanis calling us foreign agents and #H4HR accusing us of TNR is unequivocal proof of why we worked to defeat SB509. Their wild claims notwithstanding, at least California tax dollars won’t enable #Hinduphobia.”
This dual assault from Khalistani extremists on one side and so-called “human rights activists” on the other — highlights a coordinated ecosystem that has increasingly sought to conflate Hindu identity with authoritarianism and cast legitimate community advocacy as “foreign interference.”
Senate Bill 509 was presented as a measure to prevent foreign governments from surveilling, intimidating, or harassing dissidents in the United States. But Hindu advocacy groups identified dangerous loopholes that could criminalize routine civic participation by Indian-Americans from community outreach to cultural diplomacy under vague accusations of “foreign influence.”
The HinduPACT Transnational Repression (TNR) Report provided detailed analysis showing how the bill could have allowed state agencies to target Hindu non-profits and Indian-American cultural organisations under the pretext of “foreign interference.” In effect, it risked turning California into a testing ground for ideologically motivated investigations into Indian diaspora groups.
By vetoing SB509, Governor Newsom ensured that California tax dollars would not be weaponized against an entire faith community or used to suppress legitimate cultural and political expression.
HfHR’s anger at the bill’s veto is consistent with its broader ideological posture one that has repeatedly aligned with left-leaning, Islamist, and Khalistani narratives that demonize Hindu identity and the Indian state.
The organisation has frequently echoed Pakistan’s propaganda lines on Kashmir, amplified narratives about “Hindu nationalism,” and lent legitimacy to anti-India activists who whitewash terrorism or separatism as “resistance.”
Its latest outburst against HinduPACT, CoHNA, and HAF reflects an uncomfortable truth: that certain Western “rights” groups have made Hinduphobia an intellectual commodity, trading in colonial stereotypes of “caste oppression” and “Hindu extremism” to advance political influence and funding agendas.
Even as it faced unwarranted attacks from HfHR, HinduPACT’s affiliate American Hindus Against Defamation (AHAD) was confronting another case of blatant anti-Hindu rhetoric this time from within U.S. policy circles.
AHAD recently issued a decisive call for the dismissal of Peter Navarro, former Director of the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, for his “deeply inappropriate and Hinduphobic” remarks.
Navarro had accused “Brahmins profiting at the expense of the Indian people” a racially charged and historically inaccurate trope dating back to colonial attempts to vilify Hindu social systems. He also circulated an image of India’s Prime Minister in saffron robes a sacred Hindu symbol implying mockery of Hindu spirituality and leadership.
Ajay Shah, Executive Chair of HinduPACT, denounced Navarro’s language as “weaponized Hinduphobia.” “Dividing Hindus through colonial scripts doesn’t build relationships. It destroys them. People like Navarro have no place in American political life,” Shah said.
Deepti Mahajan, President of HinduPACT, added, “Saffron is sacred. Prayer is not propaganda. If the target was the Hindu faith, that’s religious hostility. If the target was India’s leadership, that’s diplomatic recklessness. Either way, it’s a serious violation.”
Deepa Karthik, General Secretary of HinduPACT, highlighted how such rhetoric has tangible social consequences, “When someone like Navarro uses caste to shame India, it lands on Hindus here. Kids get bullied. Workers get profiled. We get treated like we owe the world an apology for our heritage.”
AHAD’s statement demanded Navarro’s removal, warning that tolerating Hindu ridicule at the highest levels of U.S. policy “poisons one of America’s most natural global partnerships” the India-US alliance.
The twin episodes HfHR’s smear campaign and Navarro’s caste-laced insult reveal an alarming normalization of anti-Hindu prejudice in America’s political and activist discourse. While other forms of religious bigotry are rightly condemned, attacks on Hindu symbols, beliefs, and identity are often rationalized as “criticism of India” or “anti-nationalism.”
In academia, policy, and media, colonial-era tropes about caste and Brahmanism are weaponized to shame Hindus, while terms like “Hindu nationalism” are misused to delegitimize spiritual self-expression and cultural pride.
