NYC India Day Parade Faces Backlash Over Controversial Hindu Temple Float

India Hindu Temple

A planned float featuring a Hindu temple for New York City’s upcoming India Day Parade has sparked significant controversy, with several groups calling it anti-Muslim and demanding its removal. The float depicts a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Lord Ram, consecrated earlier this year on a contested site in Ayodhya, India, believed to be his birthplace. The site was once home to the Babri mosque, which was destroyed by a Hindu fundamentalist mob in 1992. This event triggered nationwide riots, resulting in the deaths of approximately 2,000 people, mostly Muslims.

In 2019, the Indian Supreme Court awarded the disputed land to Hindus, allowing the construction of the temple. However, the float’s inclusion in the parade has drawn criticism from several U.S.-based organizations, including the Council on American Islamic Relations, the Indian American Muslim Council, and Hindus for Human Rights. These groups have written to New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, arguing that the float glorifies the mosque’s destruction and promotes Hindu nationalist ideology, contrary to India’s secular values.

Mayor Eric Adams addressed the controversy in a recent press conference, stating, “There’s no room for hate. If there is a float or a person in the parade that’s promoting hate, they should not [be part of it].” However, his office later clarified that the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment right to free speech prevents the city from denying a permit or altering the float’s message, even if the content is controversial.

Human rights experts have pointed to a rise in violence and discrimination against minorities in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, though Modi denies these allegations. The annual New York City parade, set to take place three days after India’s Independence Day, continues to face backlash amid these rising tensions.

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