America
DOJ, Homeland Security, FBI probe sought against Overseas Friends of BJP for anti-Muslim hate parade
* Department of State urged to revoke BJP leader Sambit Patra’s visa
* Charges of hate crime filed with Edison Police Department
* Mayors of Edison and Woodbridge denounce parade, vow probe
EDISON, NJ (August 23, 2022) – Leading civil rights organizations in New Jersey have demanded immediate investigative and legal action from the US Department of Justice, the US Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation against the Overseas Friends of the BJP (OFBJP) and the Indian Business Association (IBA) for their roles in organizing an anti-Muslim hate parade in the state on August 14, 2022.
The rights organizations urged the US Secretary of State’s intervention to immediately revoke the visa of Sambit Patra, an Indian national and a spokesperson for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Patra, a known hate-monger, presided over New Jersey’s hate parade as “Grand Marshal.â€
At a press conference held at Edison Township in New Jersey on Monday, Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), Council on American Islamic Relations-New Jersey (CAIR-NJ), Black Lives Matter (BLM), American Muslims for Democracy (AMD), and Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR) said they had met with attorneys from the US Attorney General’s office and the New Jersey Attorney General’s office to seek legal action against the parade’s organizers. They said they had filed charges with the Edison Police Department against the IBA and sought police investigation into the hate parade.
The August 14 parade featured a bulldozer with a picture of Yogi Adityanath, the Hindu nationalist chief minister of the Uttar Pradesh state. The placard with the picture read “Baba Bulldozer,†a reference to his illegal and criminal usage of bulldozers to demolish homes, businesses, and places of worship of Muslims and Christians.
Global watchdog organizations have denounced India’s federal and BJP-led state governments in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Assam for illegally using the bulldozer to demolish properties without due process, court orders, or even notice.
On August 19, Edison Mayor Samip Joshi told these organizations’ representatives that the bulldozer was “a symbol of division and is absolutely unacceptable. I would like to see an apology from the Indian Business Association.†Joshi told them that he was unaware of the bulldozer’s presence at the parade when he attended it.
“Hindu and Muslim Indian Americans are peace-loving communities in Edison. We will not allow Hindu extremists to disturb that peace by hate speech and rhetoric,†former IAMC New Jersey President Minhaj Khan said, “This parade has created a sense of fear of potential hate violence among the Indian Muslim community in New Jersey.â€
Selaedin Maksut, Executive Director, CAIR, New Jersey, said it was “important that the symbol of the bulldozer and the usurpation of Indian Independence Day by international political influence is universally recognized as wrong. Mayor Joshi and Mayor McCormac recognize the divisive and discriminatory motivation behind it. The precedent is now established to take extra care in preventing this from happening again or withhold official participation while maintaining the rights to free speech and assembly.â€
BLM’s Zellie Thomas said bulldozers were being used “to terrorize†Muslim and other Indian minorities. “Just as black Americans were lynched from trees, and the noose became a tool to both intimidate and terrorize black communities, so too are bulldozers being used to remind Indian Muslims of the constant threat they are under,†he said.
Dr. Ali Chaudry of AMD said, “the inclusion of the bulldozer as the symbol of hate in the August 14 India Independence Day parade here should not be treated any different than an antisemitic, racist or Islamophobic incident.†He demanded that such symbols of hate must never be allowed to be used in any future parades.
The IAMC’s Minhaj Khan said Woodbridge Mayor John McMorcac, who had joined the August 14 parade but denounced it after he learned of the symbolism of the bulldozer, had “assured us he has already launched an investigation into the parade.†McMorcac told their delegation that he would reject future permits to hate parades, ensure float inspections beforehand, and vet speaker lists so that hate speeches are prevented.
11 hours ago
Mumbai hoarding crash rescue operation ends after 60 hours; rubble clearance work underway
11 hours ago
Five Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza by errant Israeli tank shelling
11 hours ago
Sudan denies reports of visa denial to US envoy
13 hours ago
New Leadership Sworn In by Federation of Indian Associations Chicago
14 hours ago
India-American investor and two others appointed to OneStar Foundation by Texas Governor
14 hours ago
Extended stay in the US allowed for laid-off H-1B workers
14 hours ago
House members in the United States have introduced bills to codify the country's approach to the Indian Ocean.
14 hours ago
United Nations: One-Third Increase in Youth Attempting Perilous Darien Gap Crossing
14 hours ago
Desis Decide Summit: Kamala Harris Encourages Indian-Americans to Boost Political Engagement
15 hours ago
Jagan Mohan Reddy confident of YSRCP retaining power with more seats than 2019 tally
16 hours ago
Chinese marketplace Temu under scanner for breaching EU's Digital Services Act
16 hours ago
Indian pilot to tour space on Blue Origin's next flight on May 19
16 hours ago
'iPad campaign was a major fumble': Tim Cook to 22-yr-old Indian student