Editing Hindutva (section)

=== Threats to academic freedom ===
{{Copyedit section|date=May 2025}}
Hindutva ideology has been linked to threats to academics and students, both in India and the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Venugopal, Arun|date=21 July 2021|title=At Rutgers, and Beyond, Scholars Are Under Attack For Their Critique of India's Far-Right Government|url=http://gothamist.com/news/at-rutgers-and-beyond-scholars-are-under-attack-for-their-critique-of-indias-far-right-government|access-date=21 July 2021|website=Gothamist|language=en|archive-date=7 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007224153/https://gothamist.com/news/at-rutgers-and-beyond-scholars-are-under-attack-for-their-critique-of-indias-far-right-government|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Venugopal |first=Arun |date=19 July 2021 |title=American Scholars of India Confront a Rise in Threats |url=https://www.wnyc.org/story/american-scholars-india-confront-rise-threats/ |access-date=6 September 2021 |website=WNYC |language=en |archive-date=18 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918025437/https://www.wnyc.org/story/american-scholars-india-confront-rise-threats/ |url-status=live }}</ref> For instance, in 2011, Hindutva activists successfully led a charge to remove an essay about the multiple narratives of [[Ramayana]]s from [[Delhi University|Delhi University's]] history syllabus.<ref>{{Cite news|last=N|first=Vijetha S.|date=15 October 2011|title=Historians protest as Delhi University purges Ramayana essay from syllabus|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Historians-protest-as-Delhi-University-purges-Ramayana-essay-from-syllabus/article13372074.ece|access-date=11 July 2021|issn=0971-751X|archive-date=11 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711004312/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Historians-protest-as-Delhi-University-purges-Ramayana-essay-from-syllabus/article13372074.ece|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Romila Thapar]], one of India's most eminent historians, has faced repeated Hindutva-led attacks.<ref>{{Cite news|title=In the battle over India's history, Hindu nationalists square off against a respected historian|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/india-romila-thapar-dissent/2021/01/02/1a79ca54-4070-11eb-b58b-1623f6267960_story.html|access-date=11 July 2021|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=9 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209021704/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/india-romila-thapar-dissent/2021/01/02/1a79ca54-4070-11eb-b58b-1623f6267960_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Hindu right has been responsible for pushback against scholars of South Asia and Hinduism based in North America, including [[Wendy Doniger]] and [[Sheldon Pollock]]; Doniger's book was no longer printed after its publisher settled a lawsuit claiming that it defamed Hinduism and Pollock was accused of misrepresenting India's cultural heritage and that he had "shown disrespect for the unity and integrity of India".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Scholars who study Hinduism and India face hostile climate|url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/04/12/scholars-who-study-hinduism-and-india-face-hostile-climate|access-date=11 July 2021|website=www.insidehighered.com|language=en|archive-date=10 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710045115/https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/04/12/scholars-who-study-hinduism-and-india-face-hostile-climate|url-status=live}}</ref> Under BJP leadership, the Indian state has been accused of monitoring scholars and denying some research access.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chaturvedi |first1=Vinayak |title=The Hindu Right and Attacks on Academic Freedom in the US |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/hindu-right-academic-freedom/ |publisher=The Nation |date=December 2021 |access-date=5 December 2021 |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007224220/https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/hindu-right-academic-freedom/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Audrey Truschke]] is one such example who remains frequent target of their threats.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thehindustangazette.com/crime/for-more-than-five-years-i-have-received-hate-mail-from-hindu-nationalists-almost-every-single-day-dr-audrey-truschke-5373|title=For more than five years, I have received hate mail from Hindu nationalists almost every single day - Dr. Audrey Truschke|date=15 September 2021|access-date=1 August 2022|archive-date=18 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221118202434/https://thehindustangazette.com/crime/for-more-than-five-years-i-have-received-hate-mail-from-hindu-nationalists-almost-every-single-day-dr-audrey-truschke-5373|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Historian Audrey Truschke faces threats, Rutgers University extends support to her|newspaper=Scroll|url=https://scroll.in/latest/988994/abhor-vile-messages-and-threats-directed-at-audrey-truschke-says-rutgers-university|access-date=5 August 2022|archive-date=24 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924230525/https://scroll.in/latest/988994/abhor-vile-messages-and-threats-directed-at-audrey-truschke-says-rutgers-university|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2021, a group of North American-based scholars of South Asia formed a collective and published the Hindutva Harassment Field Manual to, they argue, answer the Hindutva threat to their academic freedom.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Prakash|first=Priyali|title='Targeted by hate': Audrey Truschke on why she helped write a 'Hindutva Harassment Field Manual'|url=https://scroll.in/article/999710/targeted-by-hate-audrey-truschke-on-why-she-helped-write-a-hindutva-harassment-field-manual|access-date=28 August 2021|website=Scroll.in|date=10 July 2021|language=en-US|archive-date=2 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902044316/https://scroll.in/article/999710/targeted-by-hate-audrey-truschke-on-why-she-helped-write-a-hindutva-harassment-field-manual|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> They documented further incidents of Hindutva harassment of academics in North America, dating back to the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web |last1=SASAC |title=Timeline |url=https://www.hindutvaharassmentfieldmanual.org/timeline |website=Hindutva Harassment Field Manual |access-date=5 December 2021 |archive-date=5 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205225145/https://www.hindutvaharassmentfieldmanual.org/timeline |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Association for Asian Studies]] noted that Hindutva, described as a "majoritarian ideological doctrine" different from [[Hinduism]], resorted to "increasing attacks on numerous scholars, artists and journalists who critically analyze its politics".<ref>{{Cite web|date=10 September 2021|title=AAS Statement on the Dismantling Global Hindutva Conference|url=https://www.asianstudies.org/aas-statement-on-the-dismantling-global-hindutva-conference/|access-date=11 September 2021|website=Association for Asian Studies|language=en-US|archive-date=10 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910221626/https://www.asianstudies.org/aas-statement-on-the-dismantling-global-hindutva-conference/|url-status=live}}</ref> A number of scholars and participants withdrew from the conference following the threats they received from ultranationalists and Hindutva supporters.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Death threats sent to participants of US conference on Hindu nationalism|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/09/death-threats-sent-to-participants-of-us-conference-on-hindu-nationalism|access-date=5 August 2022|archive-date=7 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007224634/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/09/death-threats-sent-to-participants-of-us-conference-on-hindu-nationalism|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Under fire from Hindu nationalist groups, U.S.-based scholars of South Asia worry about academic freedom|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/10/03/india-us-universities-hindutva/|access-date=1 August 2022|archive-date=10 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810060010/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/10/03/india-us-universities-hindutva/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=US Conference on Hindu Nationalism marred by death threats to participants|newspaper=The Siasat Daily|url=https://www.siasat.com/us-conference-on-hindu-nationalism-marred-by-death-threats-to-participants-2190297/|access-date=5 August 2022|archive-date=5 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805084841/https://www.siasat.com/us-conference-on-hindu-nationalism-marred-by-death-threats-to-participants-2190297/|url-status=live}}</ref>