Image: IANSTop Dalit activist and engineer Milind Makwana, who spoke against the caste discrimination bill in the California state assembly, has died of a heart attack, leaving the Hindu-American community in shock.Makwana died soon after he spoke against the SB-403 caste discrimination bill at a city council meeting in Cupertino last week, according to the Hindu American Foundation (HAF). "I am from a marginalised community and I am a proud Hindu. So whoever is claiming here to represent us but ignoring Hindus, are talking about us without us," Makwana said, speaking against the bill.Who is Milind Makwana?Born and raised in Mumbai, Makwana started his journey in the US in 2006 as a technology professional in Rochester, New York. He was also an active Sewa volunteer, participating in various service activities and fundraising events. California’s SB-403 BillThe Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, USA, said in a statement that Makwana "became highly alert and concerned by California’s SB403 Bill, “Discrimination on the basis of ancestry”, that unjustly branded the Hindu-American community based on the castes".Introduced by California Senator Aisha Wahab, SB-403 adds caste as a protected category to an existing law, the Unruh Civil Rights Act, which provides that all people in the state of California are entitled to the full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges, or services.The issue raised by Hindus in the USHindus across the US, including Makwana, have expressed strong opposition to SB-403, which they say would specifically add “caste” to California's non-discrimination policy. "SB-403 unfairly maligns, targets and racially profiles select communities on the basis of their national origin, ethnicity and ancestry for disparate treatment, thereby violating the very laws it seeks to amend, the Unruh Civil Rights Act. It further violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the US and California State Constitutions,” according to an HAF statement.(Source: IANS)-Edited for styleFor more such updates and news on the go, follow us onInstagram | YouTube | Facebook