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2026 Candidate Questionnaire – BACKGROUND
(Response Date: April 30, 2026) EXTENDED - Wednesday, May 6, 2026

DOCUMENT 1: EDUCATIONAL FORENSIC AUDIT
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A Record of Service Inequities and Civil Rights Challenges

Produced by Indian Americans United (IAMU) and DesiBallot

Statement of Purpose

This Forensic Audit serves as a rigorous investigative record of the civil rights challenges and service inequities impacting the Indian and Dharmic communities within Howard County and Maryland.

After a decade marked by exclusion, we are now establishing a mandate for structural accountability. Representing the county’s largest immigrant demographic and fifteen percent of its public‑school student body, this document formalizes a necessary transition from institutional silence toward a new standard of professional, documented representation.

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Definition of “Dharmic”

The term Dharmic refers to the collective religious and cultural traditions originating in the Indian subcontinent, specifically including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. These traditions are united by the foundational

concept of Dharma, which encompasses ethical duties, laws, and the moral order governing individual and collective life.

 

Public Safety and Hate‑Bias

Residents have reported a rise in Hinduphobia, hate‑bias, and harassment in libraries, schools, and daily life in Howard County and Maryland. Reports include verbal abuse and property‑related hostility that have gone unaddressed by county authorities.

Accountability is required to ensure these incidents are not “bleached” from official statistics or dismissed as minor disputes.

During recent public debate surrounding Holi, individuals openly used the slur “pajeet,” told Hindu residents to “go back to your own country,” and used phrases such as “your kind.”

True public safety requires a law‑enforcement apparatus that recognizes and records bias against the Dharmic community with the same rigor applied to other protected groups.

 

Cultural Equity and Representation

Systemic exclusion is equivalent to racism. County‑funded “ALL faiths” events have explicitly excluded Dharmic leaders while claiming full inclusivity.

Predatory extremist groups operate openly in Howard County, targeting the Hindu and Indian community through dehumanizing rhetoric and coordinated harassment.

The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) and the school system (HCPSS) have, at times, declined to address complaints where administrative gatekeepers themselves exhibit anti‑Hindu bias or rely on frameworks that portray Hindus as aligned with Nazi ideology or fascism.

The influence of these extremist narratives on county administrative posts must be investigated and dismantled.

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Education and Curriculum

Dharmic students constitute roughly 15% of the student body, yet receive significantly less institutional visibility.

Materials portraying Hindus as “invaders” are spotlighted by leadership as definitive work on equity and inclusivity, and remain in circulation despite formal objections. This narrative disregards the historical presence of Indian laborers in the United States since the 1800s and contributes directly to bullying, profiling, and cultural erasure.

A critical failure is the continued misrepresentation of the Swastika. For over 2 billion people, the Swastika is a sacred religious icon of peace and prosperity. A 1930s linguistic error — where the German Hakenkreuz was mistranslated as “Swastika” — has resulted in the criminalization of a sacred symbol.

Howard County schools must implement cultural‑sensitivity programming and coursework that address the authentic histories of this diverse community from a decolonized perspective, ensuring that primary education is not delivered through the lens of colonizers.

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Seniors and County Services: Congregate Meals & Library Parity

Current senior services are culturally narrow and structurally unresponsive. Vegetarian Hindu and Dharmic seniors have been systematically excluded from participation in County Congregate Meals and related programs because the services do not meet basic dietary requirements.

Vegetarian residents have been directed to participate in programs tailored for other minority groups, disregarding religious observances that strictly prohibit beef, pork, or any meat products. A vegetarian meal offered to everyone is not exclusionary — yet the department refused this accommodation.

The Department of Aging and Howard County Library resources have been reported as unresponsive to community concerns, leaving a vulnerable population without culturally appropriate support or equal access to public resources.

There has been a documented pattern of systemic exclusion of the Indian‑Hindu community in Howard County.

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Climate Resilience and HOA Overreach

Construction and HVAC (heating-cooling) systems account for more than 40 percent of global emissions. Climate-resilient building methods are often blocked in Howard County by outdated regulations and restrictive HOA guidelines that prioritize cosmetic uniformity over climate survival. Local policy must protect residents and emergency safety net organizations like ICA and FeedHoCo when adopting energy-efficient and sustainable practices. Our proverbial house is burning, yet we are preoccupied with gardening
 

The Role of IAMU
Indian Americans United (IAMU) is the designated advocacy body for these interests. To prevent the appointment of “token” representatives who lack community trust, IAMU shall serve as the nominating body for community-specific roles. This ensures that individuals serving in liaison and commission roles identified in the accompanying questionnaire possess an authentic mandate.

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