According to a report in The Guardian this week, the Australian Human Rights Commission has received a complaint against the Hindu Council of Australia (HCA), its president Sai Paravastu, and head of media Neelima Paravastu over alleged Islamophobic and racially discriminatory conduct.
The complaint, lodged by the Alliance Against Islamophobia (AAI) represented by Birchgrove Legal, alleges that between September 2024 and July 2025, the Council and its senior members engaged in repeated public acts of racial hatred directed at South Asian Muslims.
The Australian Human Rights Commission confirmed it accepted the complaint on 16 September 2025, although it is unable to comment further while the matter is under investigation.
The Hindu Council of Australia have been contacted for comment but are yet to respond. Indian Link is not implying any wrongdoing by the Council or its members. Hindu Council racism complaint
THE COMPLAINT
According to the complaint, the alleged conduct occurred primarily through social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, but also extended to traditional media statements. The posts and comments, as alleged in the complaint, imputed that Muslims – particularly those of Indian, Bangladeshi, and Rohingya backgrounds – were ‘inherently criminal, dangerous, violent, or evil,’ and accused them of preying on children, the elderly, and other vulnerable members of society.
Some posts suggested that Muslims, as a collective, posed a serious societal threat.
The complaint alleges that several of the social media posts were written in Hindi and criticised Muslim cultural practices including the wearing of the burqa, and public figures such as New York mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani.
The Guardian reports that the complaint also includes references to comments allegedly made by Sai Paravastu advocating the removal of Muslim prayer rooms from schools. Some posts, as reported by in the piece, shared content from far-right figures, including American commentator Charlie Kirk and UK activist Tommy Robinson, amplifying messages widely considered Islamophobic. It is alleged that Neelima Paravastu reposted an X post from Tommy Robinson that included the words, “I’ve been warning America of the problems Islam brings for many years, hoping they are not blindsided like we in Europe were.’’
AAI alleges that this behaviour has left members of the Muslim community feeling marginalised and unwelcome in their own neighbourhoods.
“The HCA’s mission speaks of living in harmony with other religious and cultural communities, yet the behaviour we have experienced is the exact opposite,” an AAI spokesperson was reported as saying. “As Muslim members of Australia’s diverse multicultural fabric, we cannot stand by while an organisation acts against the very principles it claims to uphold.”
The alliance also framed the complaint as a broader warning to institutions, leaders, and funders that continue to platform or legitimise organisations accused of racial vilification.
“If organisations will not act to protect communities from harm, then we will use the law to ensure our rights are respected,” the spokesperson said. “We believe in an Australia where faith should never be a barrier to dignity, safety, or belonging.”
The complaint seeks several outcomes: a formal public apology from the HCA and its committee members; the immediate removal of all offending material from social and traditional media platforms; an enforceable undertaking to cease further vilifying conduct; and compensation for the harm and distress caused.
Moustafa Kheir, principal lawyer at Birchgrove Legal, said the conduct singled out Muslims in ways that were both threatening and exclusionary. “The publications consistently depict Muslims, particularly those of South Asian descent, as inherently criminal, uniformly threatening to society, and as a group that should be excluded from public spaces,” he said.
Legally, the complaint cites contraventions of Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, which prohibits acts reasonably likely to offend, insult, humiliate, or intimidate someone based on their race or ethnicity. It also alleges unlawful discrimination under the Australian Human Rights Commission Act.
This case comes amid broader concerns about rising Islamophobia in Australia, which were highlighted in media reports following Hamas attacks in Israel in October 2023. Those incidents coincided with an increase in reports of both anti-Muslim and antisemitic incidents, prompting calls from civil society groups for stronger protections against religious and racial vilification.Hindu Council racism complaint
Implications
The Hindu Council is a major umbrella body representing Hindus in Australia. It has historically provided cultural and religious support for the Indian diaspora through festivals, temple initiatives, and outreach programs. The complaint against HCA raises critical questions: to what extent are community organisations accountable for statements by their leaders, and how should multicultural societies balance the preservation of cultural identity with responsibility for inclusive, non-discriminatory public messaging?
Hindu Council of Australia is now facing scrutiny for conduct that appears to contradict its stated values of multicultural harmony. The allegations underline the tension between freedom of expression and the need to protect communities from racial and religious harm in a diverse society.
This could well be an important moment in Australia’s multicultural journey. This complaint opens a heated debate over religious tolerance, free speech, and community responsibility, sparking a broader discussion on how multiculturalism is lived in practice, not just celebrated in festivals or media.
Australia has long wrestled with the challenge of legislating against religious discrimination. Currently, there is no national religious discrimination law. Protections are piecemeal, relying on the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 and various state statutes. Past efforts to pass a Religious Discrimination Bill in 2021–22 stalled, leaving gaps in the legal framework. This vacuum makes complaints like the one against HCA particularly significant, as they test the ability of existing laws to address modern forms of religious prejudice.
Advocates stress that holding organisations accountable for harmful conduct is essential for ensuring that faith, culture, or ethnicity does not determine a person’s right to safety, respect, and participation in public life. Hindu Council racism complaint
The investigation is ongoing, and its resolution will be closely watched by legal experts, community leaders, and the wider public as it tests the limits of legal protections against racial and religious vilification in Australia’s evolving multicultural landscape
Australia prides itself on being a multicultural society. However, festivals and cultural celebrations alone do not sustain this ideal. True multiculturalism requires robust laws, vigilant enforcement, and proactive community leadership.
The complaint against the Hindu Council of Australia is more than a legal test. How Australia responds will determine whether it can navigate the complex realities of diaspora politics, ideological influence, and interfaith harmony in the 21st century.
