Hindu religious sentiments hurt as youth abuses Lord Ram and Hindu deities on social media
Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India 
21 July, 2026
Case Summary
In the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, Hindu sentiments were outraged after a man was arrested by the Nai Mandi police station for making objectionable and abusive remarks targeting Lord Shri Ram on social media. According to reports, the incident came to light after the offensive video circulated widely on 22 July 2026, sparking deep outrage and hurting the religious sentiments of the local community. Following public backlash and official cognisance of the viral footage, the Nai Mandi police team launched an inquiry. Nai Mandi Circle Officer Sunil Kumar confirmed that a case was registered against the accused, identified as Pawan Kumar, a resident of the Kamla Nagar locality. The police acted promptly to maintain public order and took the accused into custody, while further legal proceedings were underway.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the Hinduphobia 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 from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, where the man Pawan circulated an explicit, abusive video targeting Lord Shri Ram and Hindu deities, constitutes a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus because it directly attacks the core spiritual tenets and sacred figures of Sanatana Dharma. When vulgar profanities and inflammatory remarks are directed at revered deities, it functions as hate speech intended to provoke, insult, and deliberately incite anger among followers. Insulting or abusing 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 making objectionable remarks against them on a public social media platform, the accused targeted symbols that are deeply revered by millions of Hindus, thereby causing offence to the religious sentiments of the wider Hindu community. Such content is not merely an isolated expression of personal opinion, but a calculated act aimed at reducing venerated religious symbols and figures to objects of contempt, thereby hurting the religious sentiments of the community and provoking communal hostility. Since the vitriol and abuse are driven by clear animosity toward the Hindu faith and its sacred identities, this case is appropriately classified and added to the hate crime database under anti-Hindu hate speech and mocking of faith.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
