Hundreds of activists are working to challenge the delicate choreography of controversial Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis first state visit to the U.S. while risking backlash from the authoritarian strains within Modis movement, which are often hostile to criticism of their leader.

Modi, who arrived in the U.S. on Wednesday at President Joe Biden s invitation, will receive a 21-gun welcome salute and a state dinner Thursday for the first time since becoming prime minister. Top lawmakers have also invited him to become the first-ever Indian leader to address two joint sessions of Congress.

The honors contrast with the treatment that U.S. critics of Modis rule say they are enduring: government intimidation, online trolling, legal harassment and effective bans on travel to India, where many of them still have family and friends. As Modis government has pressured journalists, human rights groups and opposition leaders at home, he and his allies are making it harder to draw attention to Indias alarming trajectory abroad, activists argue.

Anyone who has roots in or ties to India is scared of the fact that a single word could result in reprisal, said Raqib Hameed Naik, a journalist in exile in the U.S. who was born in the Indian-held portion of the disputed Kashmir region.

The challenge of questioning Modis movement even bedevils some of the most powerful players in the diaspora: leading Indian American politicians.

In 2019, Indias foreign minister refused to meet with Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) over her advocacy for Kashmir. Ahead of Modis current visit, Jayapal was the only one of five Indian Americans in Congress all House Democrats, who also include Ami Bera and Ro Khanna of California, Raja Krishnamoorthy of Illinois and Shri Thanedar of Michigan to sign a letter asking Biden to raise the issue of human rights with the prime minister.

Elected officials are definitely reticent to make really strong remarks on India because they are afraid of this backlash, said Ria Chakrabarty of Hindus for Human Rights.

A progressive congressional aide told HuffPost: In some ways its harder to work on Modi than Palestine.

Bera raises human rights concerns directly in his conversations with Indian government officials, a spokesperson wrote to HuffPost. One of the other lawmakers, who requested anonymity to protect relationships, said, Ill speak on human rights but didnt think this was the right vehicle and neither did the White House.

Modis critics want U.S. officials to engage with India and acknowledge its importance while urging the nation to abide by its stated commitment to democratic principles, including freedom of expression. Right now, they say, the Biden administration and legislators from both parties are giving Modi largely unadulterated praise that makes more rights violations inevitable and sustains an atmosphere of fear that hurts American citizens.

Because there havent been consequences for the Indian government, theyre emboldened, said Kiran Kaur Gill, the executive director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

According to advocates for a tougher U.S. approach to Modi, the retaliation against their work is driving some people in their movement to be less public or pull back altogether and disproportionately hurting communities who are already marginalized in India and the Indian diaspora, such as women and religious minorities. Eventually, the trend could have foreign policy ramifications, distorting Americas debate over a country that is an increasingly vital U.S. partner and a leader who seeks to grow even more powerful through a third term in office.

Theres a desire for the U.S. and India to be stronger allies, Gill said. While there are obvious strategic reasons for that, that doesnt take away from the fact that its still imperative to address these human rights issues, these issues of flouting democratic norms.

Raising The Price Of Dissent

India elected Modi in 2014. His huge mandate and his pledges of rapid economic growth immediately drew international attention. But so did his disdain for dissenting voices, his promotion of Hindu nationalism in the diverse, historically secular country, and his role in huge anti-Muslim riots in 2002.

In office, Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have overseen raids on media organizations and nonprofits most recently the BBC and an increase in violence against Muslims and other Indian minorities . Additionally, the government has tightened control over Jammu and Kashmir, the countrys only Muslim-majority state, and meted out a record number of internet shutdowns while casting protesters and Modis political opponents as enemies of India.

Hes a very rigid, authoritarian, communal and divisive leader who strongly believes in a no-questions-asked approach, Naik said.

Naik has experienced how that approach is not limited to Indias borders.

After he covered Modis 2019 crackdown in Kashmir, Naik left for the U.S. in 2020, where he began running a hate crime tracker called Hindutva Watch. Since then, Indian authorities have contacted his parents 11 times to discuss his work, he said, in one instance summoning his father to an army camp. Former friends and colleagues stopped talking to Naik.

A year and a half ago, he received a phone call from someone claiming to be a senior police officer in India and saying he had a file on Naik, the reporter recalled. He later received a text message purportedly from a representative of Indias Intelligence Bureau asking when he was coming back to the country so the two could meet in person.

The moment I will land in India, Ill be in shackles, Naik said.

A lot of people in the diaspora who criticize Modi, they fear the same, he continued, saying that feeling often spurs self-censorship.

Indias embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment for this article.

The Indian government can also use more subtle ways to punish critics internationally.

Many Indian Americans are worried about losing their Overseas Citizenship of India cards, a form of permanent visa. (India does not permit dual citizenship.) In 2021, the Indian government reportedly canceled OCI cards for people who supported demonstrations by farmers, and in 2019, it revoked the card from Aatish Taseer, a high-profile writer critical of Modi.

If they can go after [Taseer], its a good signal, Suchitra Vijayan, another writer, told HuffPost. Its almost impossible for people who are not as famous as him to actually fight it sent such chilling shockwaves around the community.

Rasheed Ahmed, the executive director of the Indian American Muslim Council, told HuffPost he had heard of Indian diplomats writing to individuals saying their cards needed to be reviewed.

There is a considerable level of apprehension beyond apprehension, fear in the Indian Muslim community. If there is a protest, people say they dont want to go, Ahmed continued, noting community members anxieties about continued access to family members or business interests in India.