Press Contact: Nikhil Mandalaparthy, Advocacy Director, Hindus for Human Rights, nikhil@hindusforhumanrights.org 

November 8, 2021

A global coalition of 35 organizations and 175 individuals have sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, calling on him to condemn recent attacks on Muslims in the northeastern Indian state of Tripura.

In recent weeks, Hindu extremist mobs in Tripura have attacked mosques as well Muslim-owned shops and homes. These mobs were associated with Hindu extremist groups such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Hindu Jagran Manch, Bajrang Dal, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which are close allies of India's ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party. Much of this violence has been carried out by Hindu extremist mobs in response to attacks on Bangladesh's Hindu minority during and after the recent festival of Durga Puja.

The joint letter was drafted by Hindus for Human Rights, and notes that “this cycle of retaliatory violence is not new in South Asia—but it must be universally condemned. These attacks are part of a larger trend of rising violence against religious minorities both in India and in South Asia as a region.”

To date, US Commission on International Religious Freedom Chair Nadine Maenza, as well as U.S. Representatives Thomas Suozzi (D-NY) and Andy Levin (D-MI), have issued statements on the attacks.

The letter also draws attention to the fact that journalists, lawyers, students, activists, and social media accounts who have been protesting this violence have been charged under India’s draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which has been used to imprison numerous human rights defenders in India.

The letter was signed by human rights activists, faith leaders, civil society organizations, and business leaders from over 15 countries. Endorsing organizations included Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, India Civil Watch International, Indian American Muslim Council, and the Museum of World Religions.

The letter received endorsements from organizations and individuals in the United States and over 15 other countries, including Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Zambia.

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