How Caste Discrimination Persists Within Australia's Hindu Diaspora | The Hidden Hierarchy

In a detailed submission to the New South Wales Parliament's Committee on Law and Safety inquiry into measures to combat right-wing extremism, the Periyar Ambedkar Thoughts Circle of Australia has provided what it describes as evidence of systematic caste-based discrimination operating within Australian diaspora communities. The 14-page document, formally received on 22 January, presents a comprehensive argument that caste hierarchy and Brahminical supremacy constitute not merely cultural practices but foundational elements of what it terms "far-right Hindu extremism" actively present within New South Wales.

The submission draws on parliamentary records, academic research, documented incidents in education and public life, and extensive community engagement to substantiate its claims. It asserts that caste-based discrimination, far from being an import confined to private cultural spheres, permeates public institutions, educational programs, and community organisations that receive government funding.

The Architecture of Caste in the Diaspora Context

According to the submission, caste discrimination in Australia operates through what PATCA describes as "institutional capture and ideological normalisation." The document argues that unlike other forms of discrimination that manifest through overt exclusion, caste-based prejudice often masquerades as cultural or religious tradition, making it difficult to detect through conventional anti-discrimination frameworks.

The submission states that Brahminism- the ideological system that naturalises hierarchy and exclusion based on descent, functions as a mechanism for social control within diaspora communities. It claims this system conditions acceptance of dehumanisation and inequality, serving as a gateway ideology that enables other forms of extremist harm.

PATCA's submission documents what it describes as caste-based exclusion occurring in educational settings, noting that the failure to explicitly recognise caste within extremism and anti-discrimination frameworks has resulted in "casteist religious instruction and curriculum content" in schools. The organisation points to Special Religious Education programs as particular areas of concern, where it alleges ideological content promoting caste hierarchy is disseminated to young people without adequate oversight.

Recruitment and the Targeting of Young People

A significant portion of the submission addresses what PATCA identifies as deliberate recruitment pathways targeting young people and recent migrants. The document alleges that far-right Hindu extremist networks exploit identity insecurity among second-generation youth, experiences of racism in broader society, and the desire for belonging to groom new adherents.

These recruitment pathways, according to the submission, operate through youth camps, cultural classes, religious education programs, leadership initiatives, and online spaces. The document claims these platforms portray Hindu identity as under existential threat, reframe Brahminical dominance as cultural tradition, legitimate caste hierarchy while denying caste oppression, and promote Islamophobic and anti-Christian conspiracy narratives.

"This is not benign cultural education," the submission states. "It aligns closely with global right-wing radicalisation patterns, differing only in cultural vocabulary rather than structure or intent."

The submission draws attention to what it describes as transnational funding, training, and narrative pipelines connecting Australian diaspora organisations to extremist networks based in India. It alleges that organisations presenting as cultural, educational, or charitable bodies serve as vehicles for importing and normalising Hindutva ideology, a political ideology that seeks to establish Hindu majoritarian dominance.

According to PATCA, this mode of operation allows extremist ideas to circulate with institutional legitimacy while evading scrutiny typically applied to right-wing extremism. The document calls for mandatory disclosure of foreign affiliations for organisations receiving public funding, arguing that probity safeguards are essential preventive tools.

These outcomes, the submission argues, meet internationally recognised indicators of extremist harm even where criminal thresholds are not crossed. It contends that many harms associated with far-right Hindu extremism fall below criminal thresholds while still causing profound community damage, creating what it describes as a critical gap between criminal law and preventive regulation.

The Australian Human Rights Commission Recognition

The submission cites the Australian Human Rights Commission's formal recognition that caste discrimination constitutes an intersectional form of racism affecting Australians across education, employment, and public life. PATCA uses this recognition to underscore what it describes as the need for government-led preventive and regulatory responses.

The organisation notes that caste discrimination manifests through denial of educational and employment opportunities, social exclusion, and the silencing of victims through denial and gaslighting. It argues that treating caste discrimination as a purely cultural issue obscures its role in extremist radicalisation and community harm.

Recommendations for Legislative and Policy Reform

PATCA's submission includes six key recommendations for the NSW Government. These include formally recognising far-right Hindu extremism within NSW policy, intelligence, and prevention frameworks; explicitly incorporating caste-based ideology into extremism risk assessment models; applying funding and governance safeguards to publicly supported organisations with transnational extremist linkages; establishing independent oversight of Special Religious Education and faith-based programs; resourcing community-led monitoring and reporting pathways for non-violent extremist harm; and reforming anti-discrimination and multicultural governance frameworks to recognise caste as a protected attribute and vector of extremist harm.

The submission forms part of a broader parliamentary inquiry announced following a neo-Nazi rally outside NSW Parliament in November 2025. The inquiry has heard evidence on various forms of right-wing extremism, with submissions from organisations including the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies and the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils documenting rising antisemitism and Islamophobia.