At a council meeting in Edison, New Jersey, a group of people belonging to the Indian diaspora gathered to defend the inclusion of a bulldozer at an Independence Day rally in the town last week, according to a report by journalist Azad Essa for the Middle East Eye.
The Indian Business Association (IBA), which was responsible for the inclusion of the bulldozer, refused to issue an apology "because it had not done anything wrong."
The chairman of the IBA, Chandrakant Patel, told the Middle East Eye, "This is a prejudiced complaint. The bulldozer only represents the demolishing of illegal structures on government land (in India)."
On the other hand, a Muslim activist, who wished to remain anonymous, said, "In the name of an Indian parade, they are parading racist Hindutva ideology through the streets of Edison. And if someone says 'I don't know about the bulldozer', I am sorry but you are a liar."
Organisations like the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), and Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR) are now demanding stringent action against the IBA for its alleged targeting of Indian minorities.
Even the Mayor of New Jersey town denounced the use of a bulldozer during an Indian Independence Day rally that took place last week. Mayor Samip Joshi said it was "unacceptable" and asked for an apology from the group that organised the parade in Edison, New Jersey.
The bulldozer has allegedly become a symbol of oppression in India, given the trend of state governments like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh using them to demolish the homes of Muslims under the pretext of those houses being illegal.
This was not the only instance of diaspora tensions around India's Independence Day.
A verbal confrontation occurred in La Palma Park in Anaheim, California, on Monday, 15 August, between a group celebrating India's Independence Day and those protesting against caste discrimination and violence against Muslims in India.
A video shared by Jeong Park, a journalist covering Asian American communities for the Los Angeles Times, showed the groups engaging in a verbal clash, with some abuses being hurled.
Loud chants of 'Vande Mataram' and 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' could be heard. Protestors could be seen carrying placards that read 'Justice for Dalit Lives', and 'Stop Fascism in India'.
(With inputs from the Middle East Eye.)
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