A group based in Frisco, which has stirred controversy and concern among local Indian Americans, is facing accusations of “promoting hate and violence against religious minorities in India” in a complaint lodged with the Internal Revenue Service.
The complaint, submitted on 29 January, 2024, by a coalition of nonprofits, aims to revoke the tax-exempt status of the Global Hindu Heritage Foundation.
“We write to alert you of what we believe are activities — namely, the promotion of hate and violence against religious minorities in India — that fall outside any legitimate charitable purpose and mission,” the complaint states, as reported by news sources.
Established in 2006, the Global Hindu Heritage Foundation is headed by Prakasarao Velagapudi, a retired sociology professor who played a role in coordinating the planning and construction of the Karya Siddhi Hanuman Temple in Frisco, according to a 2017 curriculum vitae. However, the temple previously disavowed any affiliation with the group in an interview with a news channel.
The Global Hindu Heritage Foundation, as stated on its website, is committed to safeguarding and advancing Hindu culture and temples, among other endeavors. Despite attempts to contact Velagapudi and the board members for comment by The News, they could not be reached.
The IRS complaint accuses the Global Hindu Heritage Foundation of “promoting anti-Muslim and anti-Christian conspiracy theories, fundraising for the demolition of churches in India, and providing financial support for coerced conversions and harassment of religious minorities in India.”
Signatories to the complaint include the Indian American Muslim Council, Hindus for Human Rights, the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ DFW Chapter, the North American Manipur Tribal Association, the Ambedkarite Buddhist Association of Texas, and World Without Genocide.
2022 controversy
In 2022, the Global Hindu Heritage Foundation sparked controversy when it shared a flyer on Facebook promoting a gala fundraiser featuring an agenda item titled “Demolition of Illegal Churches in Tirupati,” a city located in southern India. The flyer spread across social media platforms, causing concern among the Indian American Christian community in the Dallas area.
Indian American Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, and Muslims gathered at a Frisco City Council meeting in December 2022 to express apprehensions regarding the group’s alleged endorsement of Hindutva, a Hindu nationalist ideology. Hindutva proponents advocate for India to be established as a Hindu state and have faced accusations of discriminating against non-Hindus, treating them as second-class citizens.
Velagapudi reportedly said at the time that the Global Hindu Heritage Foundation had informed the Indian government about potentially illegally constructed churches, with the government acknowledging that these structures, located in a significant Hindu pilgrimage centre, were indeed built without proper permits. He stated, “The law of India stipulates that the government has the authority to demolish illegally constructed buildings, and the eventual actions of the government are beyond the scope of the GHHF.”
In December, two members of the organisation Hindus for Human Rights penned an op-ed, highlighting what they described as “hateful and incendiary” remarks made by the Global Hindu Heritage Foundation on its website, such as likening Christian pastors to leeches and predicting that Hindus would face “hellish agony and persistent terror” at the hands of Muslims.
