Hindu gods and goddesses denigrated through derogatory social media posts by Muslim man in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh
Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, India 
24 May, 2026
Case Summary
In the Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh, Hindu religious sentiments were insulted after a Muslim man named Sajjad Ali posted derogatory and indecent comments about Hindu gods and goddesses on social media. The incident occurred in the Ranipur police station area, where the accused, Sajjad Ali, a resident of Darjinpurwa Holpara village, uploaded objectionable content targeting Hindu deities on his Instagram account. The post went viral on social media, triggering outrage among local Hindus and prompting protests by Hindu organisations, who demanded strict action against the accused for hurting Hindu religious sentiments. Following complaints from residents and Hindu groups, the Ranipur police registered a case against Sajjad Ali under Sections 353(2) and 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Section 64 of the Information Technology Act. Police officials stated that the content was inflammatory in nature and had the potential to disturb communal harmony. Acting on information received from an informant, the police traced and arrested the accused. The objectionable Instagram post was subsequently removed by the authorities. After his arrest, videos surfaced showing Sajjad Ali in police custody apologising for his actions and admitting his mistake. Police officials stated that he claimed that he would not repeat such conduct in the future. Ranipur police station in-charge Harendra Kumar Mishra stated that any social media activity intended to insult religious beliefs or provoke communal tensions would be dealt with seriously. Additional Superintendent of Police Ayush Vikram Singh also warned that strict legal action would continue against individuals posting inflammatory or communally provocative material online. The accused was later produced before the court and sent to jail.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is 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 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. This case has been added to the hate crime database because the accused, Sajjad Ali, posted derogatory and objectionable comments targeting Hindu gods and goddesses on a public social media platform, thereby deliberately insulting the religious beliefs and sacred figures revered by the Hindu community. The accused used Instagram to circulate content that denigrated Hindu deities, fully aware that such content would wound the religious sentiments of Hindu devotees and provoke outrage among the wider Hindu community. The deliberate publication of such material on a publicly accessible digital platform transformed the act from a private expression into a targeted act of religious hostility directed at Hindus as a collective community. Hindu gods and goddesses occupy the most sacred and central position within Hinduism and are worshipped daily by millions of devotees across India. They are not symbolic or abstract figures but living embodiments of faith, morality, divine protection, and spiritual identity for practising Hindus. Derogatory remarks directed at Hindu deities therefore constitute far more than offensive speech. Such acts amount to a direct attack on the religious identity, devotional practices, and emotional sentiments of the Hindu community. By posting indecent comments against Hindu deities, the accused displayed clear contempt towards Hindu religious beliefs and knowingly targeted objects of deep religious reverence in a manner intended to insult and provoke. The communal dimension of the incident was further aggravated by the use of social media as the medium for dissemination. The accused did not make the remarks in a private setting or during a personal dispute. Instead, he uploaded the content on Instagram, ensuring that the insulting material could reach a wide audience and spread rapidly through digital circulation. Social media acts as a force multiplier for hate speech, enabling inflammatory and offensive content to travel far beyond the immediate locality of the perpetrator and inflict collective emotional harm on members of the targeted community. The fact that the post went viral and triggered widespread outrage and protests among Hindu organisations demonstrates the extent of the offence caused and confirms the public and provocative nature of the act. The incident also reflected a broader pattern in which Hindu religious symbols, deities, and practices are increasingly targeted through provocative online content designed to attract attention through outrage and sacrilege. Such acts contribute to the normalisation of anti-Hindu hostility in digital spaces by portraying insults against Hindu beliefs as entertainment or provocation. The accused’s conduct displayed clear contempt towards Hindu religious sentiments and constituted a deliberate attempt to offend and demean a religious community through public mockery of its sacred associations. For these reasons, the case has been categorised under the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on when an event occurred or when the victim's ordeal began. It is important to clarify that the report does not specify the exact date when the accused posted the offensive content. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on when the incident was reported in the media, 25 May 2026.
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
