Hindu sentiments outraged as man makes derogatory remarks against revered deities and a Hindu organisation on social media
Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, India 
5 April, 2026
Case Summary
In Naugaon locality in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, Hindu religious sentiments were targeted as a man named Gopal Pal made derogatory remarks against Hindu gods and goddesses on social media. In a separate post, the accused also made offensive remarks against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a revered Hindu organisation. According to media reports, the accused had posted a derogatory post on Facebook about Hindu gods and goddesses and the power of mantras (sacred chants). This hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu community and caused outrage among them. Considering the seriousness of the matter, Chetan Sharma, city president of the Brahmin Samaj, Dharmendra Joshi, acting district president of the Sarva Brahmin Samaj, and others went to the Kotwali police station and filed a written complaint. Screenshots of the controversial post were also submitted to the police along with the complaint. The community officials stated that such comments had hurt their religious sentiments. Regarding this incident, the Kotwali police registered a case against him under sections 153(A) and 295(A) of the Indian Penal Code. At the time of writing this report, Gopal Pal, a resident of Naugaon, was absconding. A search was underway for the accused. Meanwhile, another complaint was filed against the accused Gopal Pal for abusing a revered Hindu organisation, RSS, on a separate Facebook post. This complaint was filed by Dinesh Sonwania, a resident of Jayprakash Marg.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category selected is- 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 other subcategory selected is- Mocking/denigrating Hindu leaders. 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. Religious leaders are often seen as representatives of the community, especially, the community’s religious faith and beliefs. Mocking or denigrating a religious leader specifically owing to his religious identity and/or the religious rituals he observes can be considered hate speech because the motivating factor of the speech is animosity and/or dislike for what he represents – the religious beliefs and faith of the community. It is important to note that mere insulting words against an individual do not constitute hate speech. It is entirely possible that insulting words are used for an individual, however, the specific speech is not the result of religious hate and/or animosity towards the professed faith of the religious leader, but the individual himself. For the speech to be considered hate speech, the speech itself or the motivating factor behind the speech has to be religious in nature. Such speech which denigrates Hindu religious leaders specifically owing to animosity towards the faith they profess and the community faith they represent will be treated as hate speech under this category. This case exemplifies a religiously motivated hate crime as the accused, Gopal Pal, made derogatory remarks against Hindu deities as well as the revered Hindu organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). These acts on his Facebook page targeted core elements of Hindu identity, demonstrating clear intent to incite harm based on religious prejudice. To understand the severity of the offence, one must recognise that Hindu deities hold profound religious, cultural, and spiritual significance for over a billion Hindus worldwide. They embody divine principles, moral guidance, protection, and communal devotion across generations and diverse traditions. Abusing these deities causes deep, visceral hurt to the religious sentiments of the Hindu community, making them feel profound pain and betrayal as their most revered figures are publicly denigrated. Such remarks reveal the perpetrator's deep-seated animosity towards the Hindu faith and community, marking it as a clear case of a religiously motivated hate crime. The mocking of Hinduism's sacred mantras further constitutes a hate crime with lasting emotional impact. Mantras are ancient vibrational chants central to Hindu worship, meditation, rituals, and daily spiritual life, believed to harness cosmic spiritual power for protection, enlightenment, healing, and inner peace. Denigrating mantras, such as ridiculing their inherent power or efficacy, stems directly from animosity towards Hinduism and its faith. This intentionally undermines believers' sacred practices, erodes their trust in time-honoured traditions, and amplifies widespread communal distress. Furthermore, the act of abusing the RSS underscores the religious animosity driving this crime. The perpetrator did not criticise the RSS over political differences; given his parallel hatred for Hindu deities and mantras, his attack clearly arose from deep-seated prejudice against Hinduism as a whole. The RSS, a prominent Hindu organisation dedicated to the upliftment of Hindus through selfless social service, nation-building initiatives, character development, and fostering unity across caste, class, and gender lines under a shared Hindu identity, becomes a proxy target in this religiously motivated assault. Such denigration of a Hindu organisation and its leaders also falls under the purview of hate speech, motivated by anti-Hindu animosity. The choice of social media for these remarks highlights the perpetrator's malicious intent with calculated reach. He deliberately broadcast these offensive anti-Hindu statements on a public platform like Facebook to reach a vast, diverse audience, maximising the hurt to Hindu sentiments across local communities and beyond. This amplification through viral potential ensured widespread outrage and emotional trauma. Overall, this pattern confirms a clear case of a religiously motivated hate crime. This incident meets key parameters of an anti-Hindu offence driven by religious hostility. Therefore, it has been added to the Hate Crime Database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records the dates of incidents based on when the crime occurs rather than when it is reported by the media. In this case, media reports have not stated the exact date when the crime occurred. Hence, 6 April 2026, the date when the incident was reported by the media, is being selected as the indicative incident date. This is recorded for documentation purposes only.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
