Organization:Hindutva Watch
| Established | April 2021, 01 |
|---|---|
| Type | Independent research initiative |
| Purpose | Monitoring and documenting hate crimes and human rights abuses in India |
| Headquarters | Cambridge, USA |
Region | India |
Founder | Raqib Hameed Naik |
| Website | www |
Hindutva Watch is an independent research project that documents alleged hate crimes and hate speech against religious minorities in India. Founded by Raqib Hameed Naik, the project focuses on tracking hate crimes and human rights abuses committed by radicalized Hindus and Hindutva militia groups in the country.
Operation
Hindutva Watch was established in April 2021 in response to growing concern over the rise of hate crimes and violence targeting religious minorities in India.[1] The organization employs a real-time data collection methodology to track and catalog instances of violent attacks, hate speech, and human rights violations against communities based on their faith, including Muslims, Christians, and members of lower-ranked castes.[2][3] The team is primarily composed of volunteers situated across the United States, Canada, and Europe.
Hindutva Watch collects evidence from various sources, including video and picture submissions from Indian activists, news aggregation, social media platforms, and messaging apps. The organization's network of volunteers, which spans across the world, verifies and validates the information before it is documented on their website. Hindutva Watch also holds virtual meetings to discuss and verify reports of hate crimes, ensuring the accuracy of their data.[2][4]
Since its inception, Hindutva Watch has documented and cataloged over 1,000 instances of violent attacks, hate speech, and other forms of human rights abuses against minority and marginalized communities in India.[5] The organization's work serves as a critical source of evidence for researchers, journalists, lawmakers, and activists who seek to address and combat hate crimes in the country.[2][4]
Their reports have been referenced in public discourse, including a Supreme Court of India petition in August 2023. The team's reports have been referenced in public discourse, including a Supreme Court of India petition in August 2023 that cited nine Hindutva Watch reports to highlight cases of alleged police inaction during communal violence.[1]
International media outlets like Al Jazeera English,[6] Los Angeles Times,[7] Reuters and more use it as authentic source for tracking attacks on minorities in India.[8]
Reception
Hindutva Watch's efforts to document hate crimes have drawn both praise and criticism. Supporters applaud the organization's dedication to preserving evidence of human rights violations, while critics argue that the initiative may be biased or selective in its reporting.[9][2]
On 16 January 2024, the account associated with Hindutva Watch on X (formerly Twitter) was withheld within India due to a legal demand. A search for the website's X handle, followed by over 77,000 accounts, yielded a blank page accompanied by a notice confirming the regulatory action.[10] The block was challenged in the Delhi High Court by Naik, founder of Hindutva Watch. X submitted an affidavit to the court stating that the decision to block the account was "unjustified and disproportionate", and that it was willing to restore the account on the court’s direction.[11]
See also
- Human rights in India
- Religious violence in India
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Purohit, Kunal (12 August 2023). "India's hate crimes are being logged, by exiles Modi's BJP want silenced". https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3230868/indias-hindu-muslim-hate-crimes-are-being-tracked-self-exiles-modi-supporters-wants-silenced.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Verma, Pranshu (16 January 2023). "Tracking rising religious hatred in India, from half a world away". Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/01/16/hindu-hate-crimes-raqib-hameed-naik/.
- ↑ Kulkarni, Bhargavi (22 January 2023). "A Rebel in the Crosshairs: Founder of Hindutva Watch Says He's Forced to Live in the Shadows in the United States". https://americankahani.com/lead-stories/the-fugitive-founder-of-hindutva-watch-says-hes-forced-to-live-in-the-shadows-in-the-united-states/.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Twitter suspends Hindutva Watch account on Modi government's 'request'". 24 June 2021. https://www.nriaffairs.com/twitter-suspends-hindutva-watch-account-on-modi-governments-request/.
- ↑ "Raja Singh hate speech: Twitter withholds tweets on Centre's directions". 1 April 2023. https://www.siasat.com/raja-singh-hate-speech-twitter-withholds-tweets-on-centres-directions-2559044/.
- ↑ "Anti-Muslim hate speech in India spikes around elections, report says". 26 September 2023. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/26/anti-muslim-hate-speech-in-india-spikes-around-elections-report-says.
- ↑ M.N., Parth (30 October 2023). "Hate crimes and hate speech are on the rise in India. Meet the trackers". https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-10-30/india-anti-muslim-hate-crimes-speech-rising.
- ↑ Singh, Kanishka (26 September 2023). "Anti-Muslim hate speech in India concentrated around elections, report finds". https://www.reuters.com/world/india/anti-muslim-hate-speech-india-concentrated-around-elections-report-finds-2023-09-25/.
- ↑ ""Attempt to intimidate and silence us," Hindutva Watch condemns police complaint by right-wing leader". 12 June 2023. https://maktoobmedia.com/india/attempt-to-intimidate-and-silence-us-hindutva-watch-condemns-police-complaint-by-right-wing-leader/.
- ↑ Bhaumik, Aaratrika (27 January 2024). "Blocking of Hindutva Watch and the prevalence of social media censorship in India". https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/blocking-of-hindutva-watch-and-the-prevalence-of-social-media-censorship-in-india/article67755510.ece.
- ↑ "Blocking of Hindutva Watch account ‘unjustified, disproportionate’: X tells Delhi HC" (in en). 2024-09-28. https://scroll.in/latest/1073844/blocking-of-hindutva-watch-account-unjustified-disproportionate-x-tells-delhi-hc.
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