Washington, Jul 18 (IANS): Indian Americans, spanning various communities, held protests in three US cities, to express their outrage over lynching of minorities by mobs in India and the Narendra Modi government's policies which are "emboldening such forces".

The protests here as well as San Diego and San Jose on Sunday were organised by The Alliance for Justice and Accountability (AJA), an umbrella coalition of progressive organisations across the US, and other groups. A fourth protest is scheduled to be held in New York City on July 23, said a press release from AJA.

These protests are similar to the "Not In My Name" protests that have been held across various cities in India. Besides the AJA, the protests in San Jose were jointly organised with the "Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice", while the the South Asia Solidarity Initiative (SASI), will be part of the protests in New York City.

Protesters slammed the "brutal killings of mostly Muslims and Dalits in the name of cow protection", alleging these were orchestrated by "Hindu supremacist groups ideologically aligned" with the BJP-led central government and "drawing inspiration" from the beef ban imposed by the governments in various states.

"The reign of terror unleashed by Hindu supremacist cow vigilantes is clearly targeted at browbeating the nation's religious minorities into the status of second class citizens," said Suhail Syed, one of the organisers of the protests in Washington DC

Protesters in San Jose carried signs, such as "India - Hostage to Hindutva?" and "Beef Ban is Cultural Fascism".

The AJA has pledged to work with people of all faiths to defend India from the onslaught of hate and divisiveness.