Man arrested in Shahjahanpur for posting objectionable remarks against Hindu gods and goddesses on Facebook
Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
17 July, 2026
Case Summary
A man named Pankaj, a resident of Udaipur village under the Roza Police Station area in Bhawalkhera, Shahjahanpur district, was arrested on 18th July for posting objectionable remarks against Hindu gods and goddesses on his Facebook account. According to the police, Pankaj shared a Facebook post expressing support for Sonam Wangchuk, who was sitting on a hunger strike in Delhi, while also making objectionable comments against Hindu deities. A screenshot of the post was later shared on Twitter (X), following which the police took cognisance of the matter. Officer Shubham Verma stated that the Facebook post had the potential to disturb communal harmony. Acting promptly, Roza Police arrested Pankaj and initiated legal proceedings against him under provisions relating to breach of peace. Police also stated that Pankaj apologised for the post and that further legal action would be taken in this matter.
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. Firstly, insulting or mocking Hindu deities constitutes hate speech because it deliberately targets figures held sacred by Hindus with the apparent intention of ridiculing or denigrating their faith. Hindu gods and goddesses are worshipped and represent the spiritual foundation of one of the world's oldest living religions. By posting objectionable remarks against them on a public social media platform, Pankaj targeted symbols that are deeply revered by millions of Hindus, thereby causing offence to the religious sentiments of the wider Hindu community. Another important aspect is that social media significantly amplifies the reach and impact of hateful content. Remarks that mock or insult sacred religious figures can rapidly spread beyond their original audience, exposing a much larger section of society to content that demeans a particular faith. In this case, Pankaj's Facebook post was not confined to a private exchange but was publicly disseminated, increasing its potential to foster hostility, encourage similar expressions of religious contempt, and disturb communal harmony. Furthermore, while democratic societies protect the right to express opinions and engage in debate on matters of religion, that protection does not extend to the deliberate denigration of religious figures through abusive or offensive expressions. The available reports state that Pankaj posted objectionable remarks specifically against Hindu gods and goddesses, thereby directing his speech towards figures held sacred by the Hindu community rather than engaging in legitimate criticism or theological discussion. Overall, this incident qualifies as a case of religiously motivated hate speech because Pankaj used social media to post objectionable remarks directed at Hindu gods and goddesses, thereby denigrating figures held sacred by millions of devotees. Such conduct targets Hindus on the basis of their religious identity, ridicules beliefs central to their faith, and contributes to the normalisation of hostility towards the Hindu community. Therefore, this case is being 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 available media reports specifies the exact date on which the accused, Pankaj, posted the objectionable remarks against Hindu gods and goddesses on Facebook. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on the earliest verifiable event available in the public domain, namely the date on which police took action against him.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
