Hindu religious sentiments outraged as video containing derogatory remarks about revered Hindu deities uploaded on social media
Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, India 
3 June, 2026
Case Summary
In the Payagpur area of Bahraich district, Uttar Pradesh, Hindu religious sentiments were outraged after a man identified as Abhimanyu, son of Shravan and a resident of Noorpur, made a video containing derogatory and vulgar remarks about revered Hindu deities, which went viral on social media. The video included objectionable comments directed at Lord Shri Ram and Mother Sita, causing widespread outrage among local Hindu residents and members of the Sanatan community. The circulation of the video deeply offended the religious sentiments of Hindus in the area and triggered public protests by local youth. The matter came to the attention of the authorities after Amit Tiwari submitted a written complaint to the Payagpur police station. The complaint was supported by several local residents, including Rohit Sharma, Gaurav Tiwari, Ankit Pathak, Deepanshu Sharma, Vivek Sharma and Akash Nishad, along with other villagers and community members. The complainants stated that the offensive video had been disseminated through social media platforms and had caused significant anger and distress among Hindus. Following the emergence of the video, residents gathered at the police station and demanded immediate legal action against the individual responsible for making and circulating the content. Taking note of the sensitive nature of the incident and the potential impact on communal harmony and public order, the Payagpur police acted promptly and registered an FIR against the accused under the relevant legal provisions. Police officials stated that content shared on social media that disturbed communal harmony or insulted religious beliefs would not be tolerated and that strict action would be taken against those responsible.
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, Abhimanyu, circulated a social media video containing highly objectionable and derogatory remarks targeting Hindu deities, including Lord Shri Ram and Mother Sita, thereby directly insulting figures who hold the highest sacred significance in Hinduism. Hinduism is one of the world's oldest living religions, and its deities, scriptures, traditions, and epics form the core of the religious identity and spiritual life of its adherents. Derogatory and vulgar remarks directed at revered figures such as Lord Shri Ram and Mother Sita constitute not merely offensive speech but a direct attack on the faith, devotion, and cultural foundations of the Hindu community. Such expressions inflict deep emotional and psychological harm on devotees by ridiculing and denigrating what they hold sacred. The deliberate targeting of these religious figures demonstrated contempt towards Hindu beliefs and showed disregard for the sentiments of practising Hindus. The use of social media significantly aggravated the nature of the offence. Social media platforms enable inflammatory content to spread rapidly beyond the perpetrator's immediate locality, reaching large audiences and amplifying communal tensions. By posting the derogatory remarks online, the accused ensured that the offensive content was visible to a broad section of the public, thereby maximising its impact and causing deliberate outrage among Hindus. The public nature of the act demonstrates an intention to disseminate hostility rather than express a private opinion. 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 none of the media sources covering this case has specified the exact date when the derogatory video was uploaded online. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on when the incident was reported in the media, 4 June 2026.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
