Indian Americans ask California Governor to reject anti-caste discrimination invoice

Scores of Indian Americans held a peaceable protest rally within the State Capital of Sacramento urging California Governor Gavin Newsom to veto the anti-caste discrimination invoice, just lately handed by the State Assembly, which they asserted is discriminatory and targets the Indians usually and Hindus specifically.

If signed into regulation by Governor Newsom, California would change into the primary State within the United States and the primary jurisdiction outdoors India to outlaw discrimination primarily based on caste. The laws revises California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act by including caste as a protected class beneath “ancestry”.

“We ask Governor Newsom to Veto SB403 so history remembers that you said no to discrimination against Indian Americans and said no to racially profiling our community!” Samir Kalra of the Hindu American Foundation instructed the gathering of Indian Americans in entrance of the State Capitol in Sacramento on Saturday.

Displaying posters and banners, the protestors, most of whom had gathered from varied components of the State, urged the Governor to not signal the invoice into regulation as this may find yourself in discrimination towards the Hindu group. Much worse is that the invoice quantities to racial profiling of the Hindu group, they argued.

Hindu American Foundation has stated that it’s exploring each possibility to guard the rights of Hindu Californians and is planning to file a lawsuit towards this.

The invoice was launched by Senator Aisha Wahab, the primary Muslim and Afghan-American girl elected to the state legislature, in February. The California Senate overwhelmingly handed SB403 “Discrimination on the basis of ancestry” with 31-5 votes final week.

Published On:

Sep 10, 2023