Hindus mocked with offensive slurs, their sacred scripture denigrated by Indian politician from West Bengal
West Bengal, India 
27 March, 2020
Case Summary
A series of anti-Hindu remarks mocking Hindus and their faith was made by Trinamool Congress General Secretary Nilanjan Das. According to reports, the accused gained attention on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) after his past tweets mocking Hinduism, questioning the existence of Lord Ram, and expressing general Hinduphobia surfaced. Das, part of TMC's IT & Social Media Wing, referred to the Hindu epic Ramayan as a "cartoon" in one post, a comment that would have attracted severe backlash if made about other religious figures. He also echoed a 2007 Congress statement questioning Lord Ram's existence, calling him a "mythological character." His tweet mocked Hindus and the Ramayana by stating, "(Gobar) khao, (gomutra) piyo, (Ramayana) cartoon dekho. #quarantinelife_of_a_chaddi", meaning, "eat cow dung, drink cow urine, and watch Ramayana, a cartoon." Das made derogatory "Gaumutra" (cow urine) and Gobar (cow dung) remarks, a term used by Islamic extremists and anti-Hindu left-liberals to dehumanise Hindus and justify violence against them. This rhetoric is reminiscent of the language used by Ahmad Adil Dhar, the Pulwama terrorist responsible for the 2019 attack on a CRPF convoy, in which he referred to Hindus as "cow-piss drinkers."
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Hate Speech against Hindus. The subcategory selected is- Anti-Hindu slurs, mocking faith. Anti-Hindu slurs and the deliberate mocking of the Hindu faith owing to religious animosity involve the usage of derogatory terms, stereotypes, or offensive references to religious practices, symbols, or figures. One of the common anti-Hindu slurs used against Hindus is “cow-worshipper” and “cow piss drinker”. The intention of using this term is to demean and mock Hindus as a group and their religious beliefs since Hindus consider the cow holy. Additionally, some symbols and the slurs attached to them have a historical context that exacerbates the insult, hate, stereotyping, dehumanisation and oppression against Hindus. Cow worship has been used for centuries to denigrate Hindus, insult their faith and oppress Hindus specifically as a religious group. There has been overwhelming documentation about how cow slaughter has been used to persecute Hindus with cow meat being thrown in temples and places of worship. There has also been overwhelming documentation where cow meat (beef) has been force-fed to Hindus to either forcefully convert them to Islam or denigrate their faith. Apart from cow worship, the Swastika – which holds deep religious significance for the Hindus – has also been misinterpreted and distorted to use as a slur against Hindus. Similarly, the worship of the Shivling has been used by supremacist ideologies and religions to denigrate Hindus owing to religious animosity. Such slurs and denigration stem out of inherent animosity and hate towards Hindus and their faith, therefore, it is categorised as hate speech targeted at Hindus specifically owing to their religious identity. The accused in this case denigrated Hindus by employing offensive slurs such as "cow piss drinkers" and "cow dung eaters," slurs frequently used by Islamic extremists and left-liberals who seek to dehumanise and denigrate Hindus. This type of hateful language notably featured in 2019 when Pulwama terrorist Ahmad Adil Dhar referred to Hindus as "cow piss drinkers," clearly showcasing religious animosity. Similarly, in this case, mocking Hindus with the phrase "gobar khao, gomutra peeyo" (meaning "eat cow dung, drink cow urine") is a direct insult to Hindu religious identity. Cow urine (gomutra) and cow dung (gobar) are sacred elements among the Panchagavyas used in Vedic rituals, including yajna ceremonies, vital to Hindu worship. Mocking these sacred symbols reflects a deep-seated animosity aimed at humiliating the Hindu community, making it a clear instance of anti-Hindu hate speech. Additionally, the accused denigrated the Ramayana by referring to it as a "cartoon." The Ramayana is a profoundly revered Hindu scripture that narrates the divine life and virtues of Lord Rama and teaches moral and spiritual values. Calling it "just a mere cartoon" is a blatant attempt to belittle Hindu beliefs and traditions, exposing the hateful bias the accused holds against Hinduism and its adherents. Furthermore, the accused echoed a historically anti-Hindu statement made by the Indian National Congress in 2007, where Lord Rama was called a mythological character. The accused repeated this by stating that Lord Rama is mythological. Such dismissive remarks are never directed towards the religious figures of other faiths—figures like the Prophet Muhammad or Jesus Christ are always treated with utmost respect and religious sensitivity in public discourse. This selective targeting of a revered Hindu deity, whose divinity is sincerely believed by millions of Hindus, underscores that the accused's assertions were not academic critiques but deeply motivated by anti-Hindu hostility and religious hatred. This case, therefore, exemplifies clear and intentional anti-Hindu hate speech, manifesting through dehumanising slurs, deliberate denigration of Hindu sacred texts and deities. Therefore, this case is being added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
