Hindu deities targeted with objectionable social media post in Uttar Pradesh
Sant Kabir Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, India 
19 May, 2026
Case Summary
The Hindu community of Bakhira police station area, Sant Kabir Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh, was subjected to deliberate religious denigration on 20 May 2026 when Abhijit, a resident of village Kataman Singh, posted objectionable content related to Hindu deities on a social media platform. The post went viral and created a serious risk of tension and disruption to public peace and law and order in the area. Bakhira police took swift action and arrested Abhijit. As per details, Abhijit posted the objectionable content targeting Hindu deities on a social media platform on 20 May 2026. The post spread rapidly and caused outrage among the Hindu community, creating a serious risk of communal tension and disruption to public peace in the Bakhira police station area. Bakhira police, acting under the direction of SP Sandeep Kumar Meena, the guidance of Additional SP Sushil Kumar Singh, and the supervision of Circle Officer Priyam Rajshekhar Pandey, took swift action and arrested Abhijit. He was produced before the Sub-Divisional Magistrate court at Mehdawal under BNSS [Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita] sections 170, 126, and 135. The court, taking into account the sensitivity and seriousness of the matter and the risk to public peace and law and order, sent Abhijit to judicial custody. Bakhira police issued a public appeal urging all citizens to use social media responsibly and refrain from sharing any objectionable posts, comments, or videos that hurt the sentiments of any religion, deity, sect, or community. Police warned that strict legal action would be taken against those who spread rumours or attempt to disrupt law and order.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category for this case is "Hate speech against Hindus". The sub-category here 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 posting of objectionable content targeting Hindu deities on a public social media platform was not an accidental or contextless act. It was a deliberate decision to use a public digital platform to direct denigrating content at the sacred objects of Hindu devotion. Hindu deities are not abstract theological concepts to devout Hindus. They are living expressions of divine presence, revered through daily worship, devotional practice, and religious identity. Objectionable content directed at Hindu deities does not merely offend sensibility. It constitutes a direct assault on the religious identity of every Hindu who encounters it, reducing objects of sincere devotion to targets of public mockery on a platform with wide reach. Given that this case met the parameters of a religiously motivated hate crime, Abhijit's conduct reflected more than offensive personal expression. By deliberately posting objectionable content targeting Hindu deities on a public social media platform, his actions constituted a deliberate act of religious denigration directed at the Hindu faith and the community that venerates its deities. This reflects an underlying hostility toward Hindu religious identity that cannot be characterised as anything other than religiously motivated. Given that this case met the parameters of a religiously motivated hate crime, it was added to the hate crime database of the tracker.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
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