A new report by the Indian American Muslim Council, released on Thursday, claims agents of the Indian government have practised at least 9 out of the 11 forms of transnational repression (TNR) identified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The report states that transnational repression hinders academic production, journalism, human rights research, and social bonds within the United States.
“The climate of fear induced by the Indian government’s actions results in widespread self-censorship and directly challenges Americans’ First Amendment freedoms.”
The Washington-based group accused Indian consulates of playing “a key role in perpetrating transnational repression from abroad”.
“They serve as the long arm of the Indian government within the United States, infiltrating diaspora communities with undercover agents, undermining routine citizenship processes, and denying Indian Americans their constitutional rights,” the report stated.
The report uses the case of Kashmiri photojournalist Masrat Zahra as a reference to the surveillance and intimidation.
In 2020, Zahra was charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), India’s draconian terror law for covering protests in the Kashmir valley. Later, she fled to the United States in hopes of escaping persecution and continuing her work from abroad.
According to the report, in Zahra’s absence, her family, friends, and neighbours have been targeted by the Indian government. In retaliation for her position on the Indian government’s revocation of Kashmir’s autonomy, Indian police beat Zahra’s father and brother.
Sahara said Indian authorities have recently expanded their persecution to Zahra’s family’s next-door neighbours.
“It’s constant harassment of my family, even though I’m away,” Zahra said. “The police interrogate my family over and over, asking them where I am, when I am coming back, who am I working for, what my visa status is, if I am married.”
Even in the US, the problem haunts Zahra, with many fellow Kashmiris and friends distancing themselves from her out of fear of repercussions for themselves and their families. Her travel privileges to India have been revoked, and she fears for her safety even in the US, where, like other Kashmiris, she contends with the threat of Indian government informers within her community.
“People who have ties to Kashmir are really scared,” Zahra said.
IAMC report states that transnational repression committed by the Indian government in the United States represents an extension of the Modi regime’s authoritarian and Hindu nationalist domestic policy.
“The impact of transnational repression is not confined to those who have publicly criticized the Modi regime: it affects the broad swaths of the Indian diaspora who have seen the consequences of speaking out and fear so much as clicking “like” on a public social media post.”
FBI lists the following tactics as emblematic of transnational repression: Stalking, online disinformation campaigns, harassment, intimidation or threats, forcing or coercing the victim to return to their country of origin, threatening or detaining family members or friends in the country of origin, Abusive legal practices (e.g., lawsuits, asset freezes, or withholding legal documents such as passports), Cyber hacking, assault, attempted kidnapping and attempted murder.
IAMC survey identified the Indian government as using at least 9 of these tactics within the United States and/or against American citizens, with only kidnapping and stalking going unreported.
“These attacks have profound and far-reaching effects. TNR instills fear into regime dissidents, severs them from their families and friends, undermines job security, destroys their relationships with audiences and contacts in India, erodes diplomatic ties, and limits freedom of speech through self-censorship,” the report points out.
