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Public commenters urge Rockville leaders to avoid ties with Vishva Hindu Parishad of America amid allegations
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Summary
Several nonresidents told the Rockville Mayor and Council the Vishva Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA) should not be welcomed in local venues, alleging links to extremist violence in India; council thanked speakers, asked them to submit materials in writing and noted the event in question took place in the county, not the city.
At the start of the meeting’s public comment period, multiple speakers urged Rockville officials to scrutinize ties to the Vishva Hindu Parishad of America, citing published reports and legal actions they said link its parent organizations to violence in India.
"This is not ignorance. It is complicity," said Peter Friedrich, a nonresident, who described the VHPA as "importing the machinery of anti‑Muslim violence" and called on local officials to decline citations and school access for the organization. Friedrich asked the council to accept his written materials and to consider his research.
Scott Weber, also a nonresident, read passages from sourced materials and said Rockville should reject hosting or platforming groups he described as associated with "Hindu nationalism." "Hate has no home here," he said, adding he left copies of his research for the city’s record.
Ajit Sahi told the council the U.S. Department of Justice had recently released a press statement about an Indian national’s guilty plea in a separate criminal case and linked the larger issue to concerns about groups operating in the county. He urged council members to be "very, very careful of the groups that you associate with" at city venues.
Mayor Asher thanked the speakers, asked them to provide written materials and noted the event that prompted the comments was held by Montgomery County rather than in the city of Rockville. The mayor and staff said they would accept documentation and directed staff at the meeting to help attendees submit records for the city to review.
The council did not take any formal action during the hearing on the matter; members welcomed the information and encouraged the public to continue to submit documentation through city channels.