In a historic move, the state of Georgia has introduced legislation that seeks to formally recognize Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu bigotry as forms of hate crime. If passed, Senate Bill 375 would make Georgia the first U.S. state to codify Hinduphobia into law, marking a significant milestone for Hindu advocacy efforts nationwide.

The bipartisan bill is co-sponsored by Republican Senators Shawn Still and Clint Dixon, alongside Democratic Senators Jason Esteves and Emanuel D. Jones. The legislation proposes to amend Georgia’s penal code by inserting a specific definition of Hinduphobia and mandating state and local law enforcement agencies to consider anti-Hindu bias in the enforcement of existing anti-discrimination laws.

According to the bill, Hinduphobia is defined as “a set of antagonistic, destructive, and derogatory attitudes and behaviours towards Hinduism.” The proposed law would require authorities to address such attitudes in hate crimes targeting members of the Hindu community.

The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA), a national advocacy group, welcomed the introduction of the bill and praised the lawmakers for their leadership. “Georgia becomes the first state to introduce such a bill, and if passed, will make history once again,” CoHNA said in a statement. “We are proud to work closely with Senator Shawn Still on this important bill and thank him along with Senator Emanuel Jones, Senator Jason Esteves, and Senator Clint Dixon for supporting the needs of the Hindu community in Georgia and the United States.”

IMPORTANT UPDATE: The State of Georgia has introduced SB 375, which formally updates the state's penal code to recognize Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu prejudice, and enables law enforcement and other agencies to consider Hinduphobia while cataloging such discrimination and taking… pic.twitter.com/0TKGgtGb8x

— CoHNA (Coalition of Hindus of North America) (@CoHNAOfficial) April 10, 2025

This legislative push builds on the momentum from April 2023, when Georgia passed a resolution condemning Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu bigotry. That resolution, spearheaded by Republican Representatives Lauren McDonald and Todd Jones of Forsyth County—home to one of Georgia’s largest Hindu and Indian-American populations—recognized Hinduism as one of the world’s oldest religions and condemned hate speech and violence against Hindus.

Community leaders and advocacy groups have lauded the introduction of Senate Bill 375 as a long-overdue acknowledgment of the growing concerns around Hindu-targeted hate incidents in the U.S.

“Senator Still has always been a staunch supporter of the Hindu community and has stood with us during the tough times we faced in the U.S. as well as in places like Bangladesh,” said Rajeev Menon, founder of the Hindus of Georgia Political Action Committee (PAC). “His commitment to fighting Hinduphobia has been a beacon of hope and change for all Hindus across the U.S.”

Dhiru Shah, a senior community leader and board member of the Hindus of Georgia PAC, echoed the sentiment. “Huge shout-outs to Senator Shawn Still and to all the members and supporters of the Hindus of Georgia PAC whose tireless efforts over the years to defend and protect the civil rights of the Hindu community led to this bill,” he said.

According to the Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 Religious Landscape Study, there are approximately 2.5 million Hindus in the United States, comprising about 0.9% of the national population. Georgia is home to over 40,000 Hindus, primarily residing in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

If enacted, Senate Bill 375 would represent a significant step forward in combating religious discrimination and protecting the civil rights of Hindu Americans—potentially setting a precedent for similar legislation in other states.

(With inputs from NDTV)

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The post US: Georgia Becomes First State To Introduce Landmark Bill To Recognize Hinduphobia As Hate Crime appeared first on The Commune.

The newly-elected Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma government has tabled Assam Cattle Preservation Bill 2021 in the state Assembly to regulate slaughter, consumption, and transportation of cattle.

Sarma used the micro-blogging site Twitter to inform about the introduction of the bill in the state Assembly and said, “Cattle are revered in our society from time immemorial. Respecting our deep-rooted belief system and agricultural necessity, we’ve tabled Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021 in Assembly to regulate slaughter, consumption and transportation of cattle,”.

Cattle are revered in our society from time immemorial.

Respecting our deep-rooted belief system & agricultural necessity, we've tabled Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021 in Assembly to regulate slaughter, consumption & transportation of cattle. https://t.co/M1RfYmbps7

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) July 12, 2021

The bill proposes to ban the sale of beef and beef products in areas that are “predominatly inhabited by Hindu, Jain and Sikh and other non-beef eating communities” and the bill has further provisions wherein selling of beef and beef products within “5 Kms of any temple, satra, or other religious institutions belonging to Hindu religion or any other institution or area”.

But more importantly, the bill also proposes a ban on the slaughter of cattle without a certificate from a competent authority and the transportation of cattle within Assam or outside the state without a valid permit will also be prohibited.

However, cattle may be allowed to be transported for bonafide agricultural or animal husbandry purposes and no permission will be required for transporting cattle to and from registered Animal Market for the purpose of purchase and sale within the district, according to the bill.

The new bill also proposes the setting up of ‘Gaushalas’ for taking care of cattle and penalties are also proposed for offences under the bill that include imprisonment ranging from a minimum of three years to eight years with fine not less than 3 lakh rupees and may extend to 5 lakh rupees.

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The post Assam CM introduces Cattle Preservation Bill 2021 to regulate cow slaughter appeared first on The Commune.