A recently published article by Dr. Jules Gomes raises alarming concerns about the flow of American money to Hindu supremacist organisations in India. Released on March 17, 2025, Gomes' report details how U.S.-based Hindu organisations registered as charities are allegedly transferring millions of dollars to militant Hindu outfits that target Christians and other minorities in India.
According to Gomes, a report titled "Transnational Funding in Hindu Supremacist Movements" released by the Polis Project in mid-February documents an "unprecedented surge of American money" flowing into Hindu supremacist movements. The 60-page dossier reveals how funds sent to India under the guise of humanitarian relief are allegedly being used by leading Hindu supremacist organisations, particularly the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).
These organisations reportedly use the money to fuel persecution and reconversion efforts targeting Dalits (untouchables) and tribal Christians, aiming to establish a homeland exclusively for Hindus. Gomes' article identifies the U.S. wing of the Hindutva (Hindu nationalism) coalition as having close ties to both President Donald Trump's MAGA movement and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The article points to Hindu-American corporate entities as key funding sources, specifically naming two family foundations - the Bhutada Family Foundation and the Gupta & Aggarwal Family Foundation - that operate as nonprofits while running multi-million dollar corporations. Gomes highlights that India received approximately $125 billion in remittances in 2023, the highest amount worldwide.
Financial records cited in the article show the RSS's American branch, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA (HSS), recorded total revenue of $1.42 million, net assets of $5.50 million, and expenses of $1.41 million. Despite this substantial financial activity, the organisation reportedly lists only one salaried employee in its filings - Saumitra Gokhale, identified as a "yoga instructor" but who serves as the "Global Coordinator for the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh."
The HSS has expanded significantly across the United States, now operating approximately 235 centers in 164 cities across 34 states, with regular attendance of 5,000 to 7,000 Hindu activists, according to Gomes' reporting.
The article references additional reports that detail the financial networks supporting Hindu supremacist movements. A report by the Global NPO Coalition's Financial Action Task Force published in October 2023 allegedly found that VHP of America transferred more than $7 million to VHP India and its subsidiaries between 2001 and 2020.
Another report titled "Hindu Nationalist Influence in the United States (2014-2021)" names two dozen Hindutva-linked organisations with combined net assets worth at least $97.7 million. Using tax records and government filings, this report claims that between 2001 and 2019, an organisation called the India Development and Relief Fund sent $30 million to the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, the tribal wing of RSS that allegedly targets Christian aboriginals for reconversion to Hinduism.
In total, Gomes reports that seven RSS-affiliated charitable groups spent at least $158.9 million on their programming between 2001-2019, with much of that money allegedly sent to Hindutva outfits in India.
The article also highlights an apparent double standard in India's government policy. While the Modi administration has reportedly cancelled the registration of 20,000 nonprofit organisations under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act - preventing them from receiving foreign funds - U.S. dollars continue to flow into Hindu nationalist organisations. Gomes reports that five organisations with ties to Hindu supremacist groups, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America, received COVID-19 relief funding amounting to $833,000 from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The CIA has listed VHP and the Bajrang Dal as "militant religious organizations" for several years in its World Factbook, according to Gomes' article.
Dr. Jules Gomes holds a doctorate in biblical studies from the University of Cambridge and currently works as a Vatican-accredited journalist based in Rome. He has authored five books and numerous academic articles and has lectured at Catholic and Protestant seminaries and universities.
