Case Summary

A Muslim girl named Habiba Khatun insulted Hindu religious sentiments by making vulgar and vile statements about Hindu goddesses on Instagram. The Muslim girl, who is a habitual offender, is a resident of Silchar (Cachar district) in Assam. In the comment she posted on Instagram, she stated "Walse Kaali aur Durga to Nangi hoti hai, Iska matlab yeh sab nangi rehna chahti hai." This translates to "Since Kali and Durga are naked, it means all Hindus want to stay naked." She made these objectionable and vulgar statements about Goddess Kali and Goddess Durga, two of the most highly revered female deities in Hinduism. The accused has regularly posted offensive and hateful content against Hinduism on her social media accounts. However, after the outrage over the recent post and the Assam police taking cognisance of the matter after it was brought to light by alert netizens, she deleted her post. She also made a video promising not to make hateful content anymore on Instagram. As of the date of writing this report, a complaint was filed against her, following which she was arrested by the Calchar Police. Her case was pending in the court.

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Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of: - Hate speech against Hindus. Within it, the sub-category 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 second primary category selected here is: - Attack on Hindu religious representations. Within it, the sub-category selected is: - Iconoclastic representation of Hindu Gods/Goddesses. An icon is a symbol of someone or something that is revered, or a religious representation of a spiritual ideal. Iconography is of vital significance in the Hindu milieu. It helps connect people’s spiritual beliefs with the real world. Iconography within the Hindu faith takes several shapes and forms. Murtis are of most significance to Hindus, to which daily rituals, prayers and offerings are done. Besides the murtis, there are several other symbols which have deep significance in the Hindu faith – the Om and Swastika for example. Any iconoclastic representation of these symbols, images and murtis is an affront to the religious beliefs and faith of the Hindu community itself since the symbols and icons are deeply religious in nature. In this sub-category of crime, we would record hate crimes and iconoclastic representations, in words, art, or any other form of representations of symbols that hold religious significance for the Hindu community. Since these symbols, icons and murtis are central to the Hindu faith, any iconoclastic representation of these symbols is born out of animosity towards the faith itself, manifesting itself through these symbols and therefore, these representations would be considered religiously motivated hated crimes. This case has been added to the tracker because a Muslim girl named Habiba Khatun deliberately made vulgar, vile and derogatory statements against Hindu goddesses. Although after receiving backlash, she deleted the post and apologised for her statements, the nature of her remarks clearly reflects her deep-seated hatred and animosity towards Hinduism and Hindus. Calling Hindu Goddess Kali and Goddess Durga naked as "naked" and then rhetorically saying that all Hindus want to stay naked is not only a mockery of Hindu beliefs but also a form of sexualisation of Hindu deities. Sexualising Hindu goddesses in an insulting way just to provoke Hindus show her contempt towards Hindu faith. Sexualising Hindu goddesses is a deliberate and offensive form of hate speech that targets the core of Hindu religious belief and reverence. In Hinduism, goddesses are not just symbolic figures—they are manifestations of divine feminine power, motherhood, protection, and spiritual strength. Depicting them in a sexualised or derogatory manner strips them of their sacred stature and is intended to humiliate and offend devotees. This act is not a matter of artistic freedom or personal opinion—it is a targeted attack meant to degrade a faith tradition by mocking what is held sacred. Such portrayals often stem from animosity towards Hinduism and are designed to provoke, insult, and dehumanise its followers. By distorting sacred images into objects of ridicule or vulgarity, the perpetrator engaged in a form of hate speech that fosters division, incites hostility, and violates the right of a community to practice its faith with dignity. This behaviour is rarely accidental or uninformed; in fact, it is rooted in Islamic supremacy, a mindset that regards non-Islamic faiths, especially idol-worshipping religions like Hinduism, as inferior or impure. In Islam, idol worship (shirk) is considered the gravest sin, and this belief often fuels contempt toward traditions that venerate deities through idols. As a result, Hindu gods and goddesses are frequently targeted for mockery, their rituals disrespected, and their followers treated with disdain. The sexualisation or vulgar misrepresentation of Hindu goddesses, therefore, is not just an offensive act—it is a deliberate expression of religious hatred, driven by a supremacist ideology that seeks to demean and delegitimise Hindu beliefs. These statements were not born of ignorance but reflect an ingrained hostility aimed at humiliating Hindus and their faith.