Hindu sentiments outraged: Youtubers posted objectionable and inflammatory content targeting Hindu gods and goddesses on social media
Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India 
25 May, 2026
Case Summary
In Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh, Hindu sentiments were insulted after two men, who operated a YouTube channel, posted objectionable and inflammatory content on social media that targeted Hindu gods and goddesses. The incident came to light after a resident of Jhingur village under the Maheshganj police station area filed a complaint stating that a social media account operating under the name ‘Comedian Sachin’ had been continuously uploading offensive videos and comments insulting Hindu deities. The repeated circulation of such derogatory material on social media was an attempt to mock and disrespect Hindu religious beliefs in the public domain, leading to outrage among local residents. Following the complaint, the police registered a case under Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings by insulting religion or religious beliefs. Acting on the complaint, Maheshganj police station in-charge Sandeep Tiwari and his team arrested the two accused, identified as Sachin Gupta and Devidin Gautam. Sachin Gupta was a resident of Kurmai village under Maheshganj police station limits, while Devidin Gautam belonged to Subhai Ka Purwa village under Sangramgarh police station area in Pratapgarh district. During police interrogation, both accused admitted to uploading and circulating the objectionable videos and comments through social media platforms. The police subsequently initiated further legal proceedings against them.
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 repeatedly posted objectionable and inflammatory content targeting Hindu gods and goddesses through a public social media account operating under the name ‘Comedian Sachin’. The nature of the content demonstrated a deliberate pattern of insulting Hindu gods and goddesses in a manner designed to provoke outrage and hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu community. The repeated uploading and circulation of such content indicated that the acts were not isolated or impulsive instances of offensive speech, but formed part of a sustained pattern of hostility directed towards Hinduism and its sacred symbols. Hindu deities occupy a deeply sacred and inseparable position within Hindu religious life and devotional practice. For practising Hindus, gods and goddesses are not symbolic figures open to casual ridicule, but revered divine beings worshipped through prayer, ritual observance, festivals, and daily acts of devotion. Offensive or derogatory content directed at Hindu deities, therefore, constitutes far more than crude online behaviour or insensitive humour. It amounts to a direct attack on the religious identity, beliefs, and devotional sentiments of the Hindu community. By targeting revered Hindu deities through publicly accessible social media content, the accused displayed clear contempt towards Hindu religious beliefs and knowingly inflicted emotional and psychological distress upon devotees. The sustained nature of the conduct further aggravated the seriousness of the incident. According to the complaint, the offensive videos and comments were being continuously uploaded over a period of time rather than appearing as a single isolated post. This pattern demonstrated persistence and deliberation, indicating that the accused repeatedly chose to return to social media platforms in order to continue disseminating insulting material targeting Hindu beliefs. Repeated acts of religious insult against the same community reflect entrenched hostility rather than momentary recklessness, and they contribute cumulatively to an atmosphere of humiliation, provocation, and communal tension directed at the targeted religious group. The use of social media significantly amplified the scale and impact of the offence. By publishing the content online rather than expressing it privately, the accused ensured that the insulting material could spread rapidly among a wide audience, exposing large numbers of Hindu viewers to content mocking their faith and sacred figures. Social media platforms function as force multipliers for hate speech because they enable provocative material to circulate beyond local boundaries and generate widespread outrage, hostility, and communal discord. The deliberate public dissemination of objectionable content targeting Hindu deities, therefore, transformed the incident from a private act of offensiveness into a broader act of online religious hate targeting the Hindu community. The police investigation further strengthened the communal dimension of the case, as both accused admitted during interrogation to uploading and circulating the objectionable videos and comments. Their conduct reflected deliberate and conscious participation in the dissemination of anti-Hindu content intended to insult religious beliefs protected under law. Given the deliberate targeting of Hindu deities, the repeated nature of the offensive content, and its intentional circulation through public digital platforms, this incident met the parameters of a religiously motivated hate speech case and was therefore added to 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 none of the media sources covering this case has specified the exact date when the derogatory statements surfaced on social media. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on when the incident was reported in the media, 26 May 2026.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
