Washington, D.C. (March 22, 2012) -- Despite protests from across the nation, a professor well-known for her virulently anti-Hindu and anti-India positions, delivered testimony at a hearing hosted by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC) yesterday.  The TLHRC called upon Angana Chatterji to speak at a hearing on the persecution of religious minorities in South Asia -- an invitation which was met by strong criticism from the Hindu American community.  

The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) contacted congressional co-chairs of TLHRC and its staff members last week detailing what it viewed as clear indications of Dr. Chatterji's personal links to Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, a Kashmiri separatist operating in the United States who was arrested by the FBI and convicted late last year for illegally lobbying on behalf of Pakistan's Inter-Intelligence Services (ISI).  HAF leaders were very concerned that the inclusion of Chatterji, who was recently fired from her academic post at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) and also known for her close relationship with Fai, would dampen the impact of the hearings and the reputation of the TLHRC.

"Chatterji is not a credible witness due to her connections to organizations that are counter to American foreign interests," said Samir Kalra, Esq., HAF's San Francisco based Director and Senior Human Rights Fellow.  "The efforts of the TLHRC are too important to risk the credibility of the hearings.  And while we are very disappointed that Chatterji's testimony was heard despite widespread opposition, we will continue to engage the Commission to ensure a balanced perspective at future hearings."

Public records indicate that Chatterji was dismissed from her post at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) for lack of professionalism and student complaints. Media reports and FBI transcripts also show clearly that Chatterji enjoyed a close relationship with Fai, was possibly introduced to Fai's high level contacts in the Pakistan's ISI, and spoke at conferences organized by Fai on topics dictated directly by the ISI.  

The hearing did include discussions on the status of Hindus in Bangladesh as detailed in HAF's 2011 annual Hindu human rights report released earlier this month.  Dr. Sachi Dastidar of the State University of New York spoke on the lagging reforms in Bangladesh and the failure of that government to compensate that country's Hindus for losses suffered due to the now defunct Enemy Property Act.  No witness at the hearing spoke of the recent case of Rinkel Kumari, a young Hindu female in Pakistan that was recently kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam, or the other estimated 20-25 Hindu girls who suffer similar turmoil every month in Pakistan -- this too after Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA), a member of TLHRC, recently wrote a letter  to Pakistan's President, Asif Ali Zardari, demanding intervention to bring Ms. Kumari's abductors to justice.

"The legacy of the late Congressman Tom Lantos, a Holocaust survivor and human rights champion, is one that promotes awareness of the plight of all persecuted communities," said Jay Kansara, HAF's DC-based Associate Director. "It is our hope that the Commission will continue its critically important work by giving a forum to human rights advocates and academics that are untainted and not profoundly compromised by their association to violent, anti-American agendas as manifested by Pakistan's ISI."