Newsletter (Sept-Oct 2026): Protests Against India’s Voter Erasure, Columbia Cancels Tushar Mehta, Annual Banquets, and More
September and October kept us on the move. IAMC chapters took to the streets in five U.S. cities against the mass erasure of voters in India, Columbia Law School cancelled a talk by India’s Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, our team connected with the community at the ISNA Convention in Detroit, and our Atlanta and New Jersey chapters closed out the season with two successful annual banquets.
BULLET POINT SUMMARY:
- Protests in five U.S. cities against India’s voter erasure
- Columbia Law School cancels Tushar Mehta’s talk
- IAMC at the ISNA Convention in Detroit
- Youth Leadership Training Workshop in New Jersey
- Annual banquets in Atlanta and New Jersey
- And more!
Keep scrolling to learn more about each of these achievements in detail.
INDIAN AMERICANS PROTEST INDIA’S ILLEGAL ERASURE OF VOTERS
IAMC chapters in Boston, New Jersey, Atlanta, Dallas, and Fremont joined Hindu, Dalit, and South Asian partners for protests, standing in solidarity with millions of Indians fighting the erasure of more than 133 million names from voter rolls through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Earlier, IAMC called for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign, and condemned the Delhi Police crackdown that saw nearly 900 peaceful protesters detained at Jantar Mantar.
COLUMBIA LAW SCHOOL CANCELS APPEARANCE BY INDIA’S SOLICITOR GENERAL
IAMC applauded Columbia Law School’s decision to cancel the planned October 19 lecture by India’s Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on “Judicial Independence and Constitutional Democracy in India.” As the Modi government’s chief advocate before the Supreme Court since 2018, Mehta has opposed bail for activists like Umar Khalid, defended mass detentions in Kashmir, and shielded ruling-party leaders accused of inciting the 2020 Delhi riots.
IAMC AT THE 63RD ANNUAL ISNA CONVENTION
IAMC joined the 63rd Annual ISNA Convention on September 4–7 at Huntington Place in Detroit, where visitors to our booth learned about Hindutva’s expanding networks in the U.S., and IAMC’s advocacy efforts. IAMC Board Member Safa Ahmed spoke at the plenary session, and Director of Public Affairs Ajit Sahi spoke on a panel on India.
WHAT WE HAD TO SAY ON…
IAMC condemned the partial demolition of the 14th-century Shahi Masjid in Ujjain, where police used tear gas and baton charges on Muslim residents gathered to protect it. IAMC also condemned an alleged white supremacist plot to carry out a mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois, coming five months after the deadly attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego.
CHAPTER UPDATES
NEW JERSEY CHAPTER
- Held a successful Youth Leadership Training Workshop.
- Hosted a successful annual banquet, “United for Justice: Empowering Indian Muslims,” on October 31 in Iselin, featuring Linda Sarsour, Yusef Abdallah, and Raquib H. Naik.
ATLANTA CHAPTER
- Hosted a successful annual banquet, “Courage over Fear,” on October 30 in Alpharetta, celebrating a year of standing up to Hindutva hate, featuring Zeba Warsi, Ajit Sahi, and Shaykh Shamikh.
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