"Recognise Rising Anti-Hindu Bias": Hindu American Body To Hate Commission

The Hindu American Foundation pointed to data from California's CA vs Hate reporting system, which found that anti-Hindu incidents accounted for 23 percent of all reported religious bias cases.

17 Jun 2026, 03:56 · www.ndtv.com

New Delhi:

The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) has called on California's Commission on the State of Hate to formally recognise and address what it describes as a growing pattern of anti-Hindu bias, vandalism, and violence targeting Hindu Americans across the state.

In formal comments submitted to the California Civil Rights Department and the Commission on June 9, HAF warned that Hindu Californians are facing an increasingly hostile environment marked by attacks on places of worship, targeted assaults, and online hate campaigns. The organisation urged state authorities to strengthen reporting mechanisms, improve transparency in hate-crime data, expand security resources for religious institutions, and publicly acknowledge anti-Hindu discrimination as a serious civil rights concern.

"Hindu Americans are an integral, vibrant part of the California tapestry," said Samir Kalra, HAF's Managing Director of Policy and Programs, in the submission.

"Freedom of religion and the right to practice without fear of violence are foundational. We respectfully urge this Commission to formally recognise this dangerous spike in anti-Hindu bias and to prioritize the protection, safety, and inclusion of the Hindu American community in statewide anti-hate initiatives," he added.

The comments were presented during a meeting of California's Commission on the State of Hate, a body established to advise state agencies on trends in hate crimes and discrimination and recommend policy responses.

Concerns over rising incidents

HAF pointed to data from California's CA vs Hate reporting system, which found that anti-Hindu incidents accounted for 23 percent of all reported religious bias cases, making them the second most frequently reported form of religiously motivated hate in the state. The organisation argued that these figures represent only a portion of the problem, as many victims remain reluctant to report incidents due to language barriers, unfamiliarity with legal processes, and fears of retaliation.

Among the examples cited were several attacks on Hindu temples in California over recent years. HAF highlighted the vandalism of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Chino Hills, one of the largest Hindu temples in the state, where anti-Hindu and anti-Indian graffiti caused significant property damage.

The foundation also referenced an attack on another BAPS temple in the Sacramento area, where vandals allegedly defaced property and cut major water lines, an act that investigators treated as a potential hate crime. Additional incidents of anti-Hindu graffiti were reported at temples in Newark and Hayward in Northern California.

"These are not isolated events," HAF stated, describing the incidents as part of a broader pattern of intimidation directed at Hindu places of worship.

Targeting of individuals

Beyond attacks on religious institutions, HAF cited cases involving individual victims. One of the most notable examples involved a series of assaults in Santa Clara County in which elderly Hindu women wearing traditional Indian attire were allegedly targeted and robbed of jewelry. Prosecutors later pursued hate-crime enhancements in connection with the attacks.

The organisation also referenced an incident in Fremont in which a Hindu man was allegedly assaulted while anti-Hindu slurs were directed at him.

Civil rights advocates have increasingly warned that religious minorities can become vulnerable when ethnic, cultural, and religious stereotypes overlap, making communities targets for both racial and faith-based discrimination.

Online hate and real-world consequences

A significant portion of HAF's submission focused on the growth of anti-Hindu and anti-Indian rhetoric online. The organisation cited reports indicating a sharp rise in anti-Indian slurs in recent years, particularly amid heated debates over immigration and employment visas.

According to HAF, digital disinformation campaigns and xenophobic narratives have fueled the spread of stereotypes portraying Hindus and Indians in negative terms. The foundation referenced a 2023 study by Rutgers University's Network Contagion Research Institute, which documented the rapid spread of anti-Hindu content across social media platforms and warned that online hate can serve as an early indicator of potential real-world targeting.

Researchers and civil rights groups have long argued that online hostility can normalize prejudice and contribute to acts of harassment, vandalism, or violence offline.

Recommendations to state authorities

To address these concerns, HAF urged California officials to take several concrete steps. The organisation called for expanded multilingual outreach efforts to encourage reporting through the CA vs Hate system, improved collection and publication of data specifically tracking anti-Hindu incidents, and increased security grants for temples and community centers.

HAF also urged state leaders to publicly condemn anti-Hindu bias and ensure that the Commission fulfills its advisory role by recommending policies and resources aimed at combating religiously motivated hate.

California is home to one of the largest Hindu populations in the United States, with hundreds of temples, cultural organisations, and businesses contributing to the state's diverse social fabric. HAF argued that protecting the community's religious freedom and security is essential to California's broader efforts to combat hate and uphold civil rights for all residents.

The Commission has not yet publicly responded to the recommendations, but HAF said it looks forward to working with state officials to confront what it views as an escalating challenge facing Hindu Americans.

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