Hindu sentiments outraged as Muslim men from Jammu mock Goddess Kali on social media
Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India 
4 March, 2026
Case Summary
In Jammu, Hindu religious sentiments were insulted after the revered Hindu deity, Goddess Kali, and cultural practices associated with her were mocked by a group of Muslim men. According to reports, the incident stemmed from a viral video in which the four Muslim men were seen ridiculing Hindu religious and cultural practices associated with Goddess Kali. The accused were seen making exaggerated gestures and mocking facial expressions while ridiculing religious practices associated with Goddess Kali, which triggered outrage among members of the Hindu community. Subsequently, a complaint was filed by Rakesh Bajrangi, president of the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal, stating that the video had hurt religious sentiments, and another complaint followed from Dilawar Singh of the Yuva Rajput Sabha. Acting on these complaints, the police arrested Mohammad Arif, Shahid, Yunus, Imran, and Asif between 5 March 2026 and 8 March 2026. The accused were booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, pertaining to deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings. Four of the accused were granted interim bail on 16 March 2026 and were presented before the trial court for consideration of permanent bail.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is being 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 from 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. This case constituted a clear instance of a religiously motivated hate crime, as the four Muslim men deliberately mocked the revered Hindu deity Goddess Kali through a video that was circulated widely on social media. In the footage, the accused were seen making exaggerated gestures and mocking facial expressions while ridiculing religious and cultural practices associated with Goddess Kali, demonstrating a conscious intent to demean a sacred symbol of the Hindu faith. Goddess Kali holds a deeply significant place in Hinduism as a powerful manifestation of Shakti, symbolising the destruction of evil and the protection of dharma. She is widely worshipped across India through rituals, festivals such as Kali Puja, and personal devotion, with devotees viewing her as a fierce yet compassionate mother figure. Any act that mocks or trivialises her imagery or associated practices is therefore not merely irreverent but strikes at the core of deeply held Hindu beliefs, intensifying the gravity of the offence and the hurt caused to the Hindu community. For Hindus, their deities are not merely symbolic figures but form the spiritual core of religious life, deeply embedded through daily worship, festivals, and lifelong devotion. Any act that ridicules or insults such revered figures constitutes a direct attack on the religious identity and emotional well-being of the Hindu community. In this instance, the actions of the accused went beyond casual misconduct and demonstrated a targeted attempt to insult and provoke Hindus by demeaning a central figure of worship, thereby amounting to a religiously motivated offence driven by animosity towards the faith. The deliberate recording and dissemination of the video on social media significantly amplified the impact of the offence. By broadcasting such derogatory content in the public domain, the accused ensured that the insult reached a wide audience, thereby magnifying the psychological harm inflicted on Hindus and increasing the potential for communal unrest. When derogatory content targeting Hindu religious symbols is shared in such a manner, it emboldens others to replicate similar behaviour, contributing to a culture in which mocking or insulting Hindu traditions becomes normalised. Social media in general has devolved into a hub of anti-Hindu vitriol, inundated with derogatory memes, comments, and images that relentlessly mock and abuse Hinduism, its deities, and its revered scholars. These coordinated assaults permeate platforms daily, transforming sacred icons into punchlines and caricatures. This pervasive pattern of mocking Hindu religious and cultural practices constitutes clear instances of online Hinduphobia, inflicting profound hurt on Hindu sentiments and rendering the community a perpetual target for ridicule and abuse. Therefore, this case is categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime and is included in the Hinduphobia Tracker's Hate Crime database for documentation and analysis. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on when a crime occurs rather than when it is reported by the media. It is important to clarify that media reports do not specify the exact date when the accused posted the offensive content. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the incident date based on when the perpetrators were arrested, 5 March 2026.
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
