By Sam Sachdeva
The Indian High Commission has weighed into the debate over the Hindutva movement in Aotearoa, accusing an academic of being “selective and one-sided in depiction of the truth” and defending a decision to share media criticism of his work on its social media channels.
Massey University academic Mohan Dutta has come under attack online for his work on Hindutva, a strain of Hindu nationalism which has grown in prominence under Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP party, and has been described by critics as a form of right-wing extremism or fascism.
Dutta, a communications professor and chair of Massey’s Center for Culture-Centered Approach to Research and Evaluation (CARE), said his work focused “voices at the margins” who experienced discrimination, including some discussions with Muslims in India targeted with abuse and attacks over interfaith relationships.
After receiving accounts from minority diaspora communities of online hate via social media platforms, particularly connected to Hindutva, he had begun researching the movement’s structures and how it was playing out in New Zealand and elsewhere.
The two-page white paper received little attention when it was first published on the CARE website in May, but Dutta started receiving attacks ahead of an online conference in September called ‘Dismantling Global Hindutva’.
“There were a number of Twitter accounts that started targeting me, the centre and Massey and started generating these pieces of disinformation … it went from a paper specifically about Hindutva, to me attacking Hindus.”
He was forced to contact the police after some threats of violence, such as “if you were in India you would be burnt”, which led him to fear for his family’s wellbeing.
Dutta said the attacks appeared to come from online accounts both in Aotearoa and other parts of the world, and CARE staff had become concerned about their safety.
A number of Indian journalists and media outlets also carried pieces criticising Dutta’s white paper, including Apna Television host Roy Kaunds who attacked what he said were “disparaging remarks about the Hindu community” and associated media coverage.
The Indian High Commission shared the Apna video (without comment) on its Facebook page, which Dutta said was giving legitimacy to disinformation about his work.
The social media post also attracted the ire of the Aotearoa Alliance of Progressive Indians, which wrote an open letter saying the high commission had sent “a signal that [it] intends to shift away from a commitment to the principles of secularism, which is at the heart of both the Indian and New Zealand democracies”.
Dr Sapna Samant, a GP involved in the creation of the alliance who helped organise protests against India’s citizenship law change last year, said it was “quite disappointing” that the high commission had shared the Apna video and appeared to endorse the Hindutva perspective.
While Hinduism was a “very relaxed, pluralistic, inclusive religion”, Hindutva was an “ethno-nationalist extremist ideology which comes out from sort of an upper-caste belief of superiority”, and Samant said Dutta’s critics were wrong in claiming he conflated the two.
Samant said other Hindus like her were also opposed to the Hindutva ideology, but some in New Zealand were reluctant to speak out due to fears it would affect their visa status and access to family in India.
Broader Hindutva debate
The Hindutva debate in New Zealand mirrors a broader conversation around the world. In a story on the backlash to the September conference, the Washington Post reported organisers and speakers had received death and rape threats, while pro-government news channels in India had alleged the conference provided “intellectual cover for the Taliban”.
A dozen academics based in the United States told the newspaper that pressure from Hindu nationalist groups and Indian government backers threatened to undermine academic freedom on American campuses.
In Australia, an Indian national convicted on three charges after allegations of anti-Sikh violence received what one Indian newspaper described as “a hero’s welcome” after being deported to India.
A police spokeswoman said they had received two complaints from Dutta in relation to social media posts attacking him and his employer, and had helped to put safety plans in place.
“It is believed that the person or people responsible for the videos and posts are overseas and there are not currently any further lines of enquiry in relation to this matter.”
The spokeswoman said police were concerned about all forms of extremism “that has the potential to manifest in threatening acts of violence”.
There were no far-right nationalist or extremist Indian groups designated as terrorist entities in New Zealand, but police were aware of concerns about such groups operating and followed up allegations on a case-by-case basis.
A spokesman for the Indian High Commission told Newsroom it had shared the Apna TV clip “with the objective of promoting understanding and [a] balanced point of view”, arguing the video was not critical of Dutta’s work but “tried to remove some misconceptions about Hindus living in New Zealand”.
“We have full respect for the freedom of academic expression, but at the same time this freedom should not be misused, and everyone should be responsible enough to maintain the sanctity of this freedom.”
The spokesman said most people of Indian origin were hurt by Dutta’s white paper, which was “selective and one-sided in depiction of the truth” and had attacked the entire Hindu community.
“We want to see the peaceful, law-abiding, well-integrated Indian community in New Zealand prosper. People who disrupt this harmonious relationship existing between the communities by hate speech or provocative statements should not be encouraged.”
The high commission did not support the online trolls who had harassed Dutta, and said it was up to New Zealand authorities to investigate any allegations about Hindutva and Islamophobia in the country.
Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities Minister Priyanca Radhakrishnan told Newsroom she was aware of concerns about Hindutva and did not condone “any ideology that seeks to create divisions between groups of people”.
As a Hindu herself, Radhakrishnan said it was important to note the distinction between Hinduism as a religion, and Hindutva as a political ideology.
“Our diversity is a source of strength because we have different lived experiences and different viewpoints. To maximise that strength, we must be able to debate ideas and viewpoints in a way that is mana-enhancing and safe.”
The Government was working to strengthen legislation covering the incitement of hatred and discrimination, and was currently carrying out online consultation regarding a social cohesion programme for Aotearoa.
This story first appeared on newsroom.co.nz