Germantown MD: Activists Push to Remove Hindu Nationalist Books from County Libraries as Indian Restaurant Opens
The Indian Desi community in Germantown, Maryland, found itself at the intersection of civic controversy and culinary celebration in recent weeks. Activists in Montgomery County raised concerns with local library officials about the presence of books donated by or linked to a Hindu nationalist organization, calling for their removal from the county library system—a story that touches directly on the community's cultural and political identity in one of the most densely Indian-American suburbs in the Washington metropolitan area. In more celebratory news, a new family-owned Indian and Himalayan restaurant named Curry Z has opened on Clopper Road in Germantown, bringing a menu that spans classic curries, handmade momos, and Indo-Chinese specialties to a neighborhood already familiar with South Asian cuisine.
🗳️ Montgomery County Activists Call for Germantown Library to Pull Books Tied to Controversial Hindu Group
The Baltimore Banner reported that activists in Germantown and Montgomery County are calling on the Montgomery County library system—specifically including the Germantown branch—to remove Hindi-language books that they allege are linked to a controversial Hindu nationalist organization. The activists have characterized the group associated with the books as a nationalist and hate-affiliated organization, according to framing reflected in the Baltimore Banner's reporting on the matter. The dispute places Montgomery County's public library system in the middle of a debate that has surfaced in several US jurisdictions with significant Indian-American populations, as community members and advocacy groups scrutinize book donations and collections they associate with organizations that critics have labeled as promoting a Hindu nationalist ideology. Montgomery County is home to one of the largest Indian-American populations in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, concentrated particularly in communities including Germantown, Gaithersburg, and Rockville. For the Desi community in the area, the controversy reflects ongoing tensions within the diaspora over the presence and influence of Hindu nationalist organizations in cultural, civic, and educational spaces in the United States. The Baltimore Banner, which covers Montgomery and Prince George's Counties alongside the Baltimore metro area as part of its Capital Region reporting, chose to publish the story as a community news item, giving the activists' concerns visibility in a regional publication that serves both Indian-American and general readership audiences. The library system has not yet publicly announced a decision on whether the books in question will be reviewed or removed. [1]
🍛 Curry Z Opens in Germantown with Indian, Himalayan, and Indo-Chinese Menu on Clopper Road
A new family-owned restaurant named Curry Z has opened at 13525 Clopper Rd. in Germantown, Maryland 20874, bringing a menu that blends traditional Indian cuisine with dishes inspired by the Himalayan region and Indo-Chinese cooking traditions, according to MoCo Show, which covers local Montgomery County news and business openings. The restaurant occupies a space previously held by Bitez, a halal eatery that operated at the same Clopper Road location from July 2025 until closing in January 2026. Curry Z is situated within the same shopping center as Mamma Lena and Rio Grande Bar & Grill on Clopper Road. According to the restaurant, the menu brings together classic Indian curries, tandoori specialties, handmade momos—the Himalayan dumplings popular across Nepali, Tibetan, and northeastern Indian culinary traditions—and street food selections, alongside an Indo-Chinese category that reflects the cuisine's long-standing popularity among South Asian diaspora diners. For lunch, the restaurant offers a storefront-exclusive build-your-own bowl option, an approachable format well suited to the area's lunch crowd. MoCo Show published the story on July 18, 2026. The opening fills a gap left by Bitez's closure earlier in 2026 and reflects continued demand for South Asian food options in Germantown, a community with a substantial Indian-American population and a well-established appetite for the subcontinental and Himalayan cooking that Curry Z is positioning itself to serve. The family-owned designation suggests local entrepreneurial investment in the Germantown dining scene. [2]
Sources: [1] The Baltimore Banner · [2] The MoCo Show -