The Wire Staff 
New Delhi: After the X (formerly Twitter) account of Hindus for Human Rights was withheld in India, the nonprofit organisation said on Monday, October 16, that the Narendra Modi government is “scared of a movement of progressive Hindus and their supporters speaking up to save Indian democracy”.
The X account of Hindus for Human Rights and its partner, the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), was withheld early on October 14 “in response to a legal demand”.
The organisation said in a press release that the move shows that its “truth-telling” and “constant insistence on justice” have become a thorn in the BJP-led Union government’s side.
“What’s clear is that there is a coordinated plan of transnational repression by the Modi government, assisted by their eager partners in the diaspora – and their action against us may well represent the beginning of a massive clamp down of anti-Modi voices prior to the 2024 elections in India,” the press release said.
The group vowed not to be silence, adding that the movement against Hindutva will continue.
In a separate statement, IAMC said that Elon Musk is “working hand in glove with Modi’s authoritarian regime” to block a US-based organisation and that X is “accelerating the suppression of free expression and democracy”.
The suspensions are part of the Indian government’s broader crackdown on critical voices, IAMC said, referring to the raids on NewsClick, the arrest of Prabir Purkayastha and giving the sanction for prosecution of writer-activist Arundhati Roy.
Read both the press releases below.
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The Modi Government Is Trying to Silence Us and We Will Fight Back
Washington D.C. Monday October 16, 2023: The Modi government is attempting to silence our voice by shutting down our Twitter account in India in collusion with Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter).
In the early hours of October 14th, we learnt that X had “withheld” our Twitter account in India, “in response to a legal demand,” presumably by the Government of India. Our ally, Indian American Muslim Council’s Twitter account has also been “withheld” similarly. There was no prior intimation by X, nor does it have an appeal process for this type of suspension, except in a court of law.
We have no idea why we have been shut down, but we can take a guess: The mighty Modi raj is scared of a movement of progressive Hindus and their supporters speaking up to save Indian democracy. Their action shows that our truth-telling, our constant insistence on justice, have become a thorn in their side. The truth frightens them.
What’s clear is that there is a coordinated plan of transnational repression by the Modi government, assisted by their eager partners in the diaspora – and their action against us may well represent the beginning of a massive clamp down of anti-Modi voices prior to the 2024 elections in India.
In our case:
First came the SLAPP lawsuit by the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) in May 2021 against our co-founders. It failed to intimidate and silence us and the case was dismissed. Then came incessant trolling following the Dismantling Global Hindutva conference in September 2021, in which we had participated as practicing Hindus. We responded in kind and debunked the narrative that the conference was Hinduphobic.
Following the Rahul Gandhi visit to the United States in May 2023 came a shameful display of hubris and hype by a Union Minister in the Modi cabinet, claiming on national TV that there was a conspiracy among Rahul Gandhi, George Soros, and our co-founder Sunita to destroy India. That failed to gain traction and, in fact, increased our following.
And now this!! Using their pal Elon Musk to shut down the only voice of progressive Hindus, which is speaking out against the danger of Hindutva ideology and the Modi government’s anti-minority actions, which run counter to the basic values of Hinduism.
Much as they try, we will not be silenced or stopped, like a river flows on in spite of boulders in the way, finding its way around. As long as people like Umar Khalid, Teesta Setalvad, Harsh Mander, Arundhati Roy, Newsclick, Amnesty India ….. as long as brave defenders of Indian democracy are continuing to fight, we will stand with them. The resistance movement against Hindutva will grow like a tidal wave and engulf the hatred. That day will come.
This is the second freedom struggle for India. Nothing less.
We will end with a quote from a recent article by our cofounder Raju Rajagopal about Modi, Biden, and Human Rights through the lens of the Bhagavad Gita:
“The action undertaken from delusion,
without regard to capacity and to consequences
– loss and injury to others –
that is declared to be dark [vikarma].” (XVIII-25)
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Censorship alert: IAMC Urgently Demands Restoration of X Account Access in India
Washington, D.C. (October 16, 2023) — The Indian American Muslim Council, the U.S. oldest and largest advocacy organization committed to promoting justice, pluralism, and the civil rights of Indian Americans, is gravely concerned by the censorship of its account on X, formerly known as Twitter, in India.
On October 14, IAMC and its close ally Hindus for Human Rights (HFHR) learned that their X accounts were withheld in India in response to a “legal demand” from the Indian government. Two days after the suspension, X wrote IAMC to inform that the account has been withheld after X received “a legal removal demand from the Government of India… that claims the following content violates India’s Information Technology Act, 2000.” The Indian government’s sweeping and draconian Information Technology Act has already been used to censor many online users.
“IAMC’s X account serves as an important medium for Indian-American Muslims to shine light on Hindu nationalism and worsening human rights conditions of persecuted minority groups in India. Silencing our voice on social media is an affront not just to our organization but to the democracy in the United States and India,” said IAMC executive director Rasheed Ahmed. “X executive Elon Musk is working hand in glove with Modi’s authoritarian regime to block a U.S. based organization. X is accelerating the suppression of free expression and democracy in India and the U.S.”
The suspension of IAMC and HFHR’s accounts continues the Indian government’s broader crackdown on critical voices in media and politics, which escalated in recent weeks with the Indian government filing criminal charges against prominent novelist Arundhati Roy and raiding the offices of the Independent news organization NewsClick and arresting its editor-in-chief.
“With the alleged assassination of Canadian resident Hardeep Singh by Indian foreign agents, the censorship of U.S. based social media accounts, India’s repressive tactics now clearly pose an international threat to security and freedom of expression,” said IAMC President Mohammad Jawad.
IAMC calls on X to immediately restore access to its account in India. IAMC furthermore calls on the aid of the international community as it seeks to counter rising threats to its freedom of expression in India. IAMC is in close contact with its attorneys as it seeks legal recourse to challenge the withholding of its account. It joins with close allies as it continues to fight for the civil rights of India’s persecuted minorities and on behalf of freedom of speech everywhere.