Media claims Muslim man assaulted on a train in Moradabad for refusing to chant 'Jai Shri Ram', probe reveals it was because he molested a woman
Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India 
13 January, 2023
Case Summary
Several media houses reported that a Muslim man was beaten on a train in Moradabad for refusing to chant Jai Shri Ram. The man, Asim Hussain alleged that when he was travelling from Delhi to Moradabad on Padmawat Express, 8-10 people started to cause disturbances and someone shouted ‘ye Mulla chor hai’ (this Mulla is a thief). He further alleged his shirt was removed, he was beaten with a belt and his beard was pulled because he refused to chant Jai Shri Ram. Devi Dayal, DSP Moradabad of Railway Police, said the probe in the case has revealed that there was no religious angle and he was assaulted because he had molested some woman on the train. Reportedly, the two men who had assaulted Hussain have been identified as Suraj from Pratapgarh and Satish from Raebareli. They were initially granted bail after charging them with disturbing peace on the train. After Asim Hussain complained, an FIR was registered.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Hate speech against Hindus. Under this, the sub-category under which the case has been placed, based on case details is- Anti-Hindu subversion and prejudice. Further, a tertiary category named, Anti-Hindu Fake News or Downplaying, has been selected. Hate speech is defined as any speech, gesture, conduct, writing, or display that is prejudicial against a specific individual and/or group of people, which is leading to or may lead to violence, prejudicial action or hate against that individual and/or group. Media plays a specific and overarching reach in perpetuating prejudicial attitudes towards a community owing to unfair, untrue coverage and/or misrepresentation/misinterpretation, selective coverage and/or omission of facts of/pertaining to issues affecting a specific religious group. This type of bias can dehumanise the victim group, making it easier for others to justify harmful actions against them, which aligns with the objectives of hate speech laws aimed at preventing such harm. It is often observed that the media takes a prejudicial stand against the Hindu community driven by their need to shield the aggressor community which happens to be a numeric minority, however, is the one perpetrating violence against Hindus. For example, the media is often quick to contextualise religiously motivated crimes against Hindus, omit or misrepresent facts that point towards religiously motivated hate crimes, justify and/or downplay religiously motivated hate crimes or simply present fake news to stereotype Hindus. Such media bias leads to the denial of persecution and is often used to dehumanise Hindus, leading to justification for violence against them. For example, the media covered several fake allegations of Hindus targeting Muslims and forcing them to chant Jai Shree Ram. Most of these cases were proved false and fabricated after police investigation. These fake news reports were subsequently never retracted or clarified. Such fake news led to the justification of violence and dehumanisation of Hindus based on the argument that since Hindus targeted Muslims and forced them to chant Jai Shree Ram, the dehumanisation of Hindus and violence against them was par for the course and merely a retaliation. Such media bias leads to prejudicial portrayal of Hindus and offers a justification for violence against them and therefore, is considered hate speech under this category. According to the police in this case, the Muslim man Asim Hussain was assaulted by fellow travellers because he was caught molesting a woman. Hussain himself and the media twisted the case to target Hindus on religious lines by claiming that he was thrashed because he refused to chant Jai Shree Ram - which is a pious chant for Hindus. This was done not only to protect the Muslim accused but also to demonise and dehumanise not only the passengers of the train but also to demonise the larger Hindu community by using this lie to propaganda how Hindus have become religiously intolerant. Such religiously motivated fake news stems from prejudice against the Hindu community and therefore is classified as anti-Hindu fake news.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
