Hindu religious sentiments hurt; auto driver in Thane makes derogatory remarks about Shivalinga
Thane, Maharashtra, India 
4 August, 2026
Case Summary
In Teen Hath Naka, Thane, Maharashtra, Hindu religious sentiments were hurt after an auto driver made derogatory remarks against the Shivalinga, a revered Hindu symbol associated with Lord Shiva. This incident came to light when a video of the incident went viral on social media on 5th August 2026. A Hindu passenger travelling in the auto recorded the driver making derogatory remarks against the sacred Shivalinga. The auto was registered in the name of Mr K M Arumainathan Maryasrvri Krup. During the journey, the driver was heard saying, “Do you know the Shivlinga that is there in Shiva temples? That Shivlinga, do you know what it means? It means a phallus.” He repeatedly referred to the Shivlinga as a “phallus” in a derogatory manner. The video triggered widespread outrage and backlash from the Hindu community, with people demanding strict action against the auto driver. Several social media users tagged the Thane Police, the Director General of Police, Maharashtra, and the Chief Minister’s Office, Maharashtra. They stressed that such insults to Hindu religious beliefs would not be tolerated and called for action against the driver. At the time of writing this report, there was no available information regarding any legal action taken against the accused.
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 was a clear example of a religiously driven hate crime, as the perpetrator made derogatory remarks against the sacred Shivalinga, a revered Hindu religious symbol associated with Lord Shiva. The remarks demonstrated clear religious hostility and contempt towards Hindu beliefs and religious sentiments. To understand the severity of the violation, one has to understand the religious significance of the Shivalinga. In Hinduism, the Shivalinga is a sacred representation of Lord Shiva and is worshipped by millions of Hindus across India and the world. It is associated with the divine, infinite and formless nature of Lord Shiva and occupies an important place in Hindu worship, with devotees offering prayers and performing rituals before it in temples and homes. Therefore, making derogatory remarks about the Shivalinga directly hurts the religious sentiments of Hindus and showcases contempt for a deeply revered aspect of their faith. Repeatedly describing it as a “phallus” in a derogatory context further demeaned its sanctity by reducing a sacred object of worship to an offensive and trivialising description. Such remarks not only insult the religious significance attached to the Shivalinga but also display hostility towards Hindu beliefs and sacred traditions, making the conduct a religiously motivated hate crime. The fact that the perpetrator made these remarks not in a private space but directly in an auto while interacting with a Hindu customer further demonstrated a deliberate disregard for Hindu religious sentiments. By repeatedly making derogatory comments about the Shivalinga in the presence of a Hindu passenger, the perpetrator's conduct was intended to demean a sacred Hindu symbol despite the likelihood that such remarks would cause offence. The public and direct nature of these comments therefore highlights the deliberate nature of the religious hostility and the intent to hurt Hindu religious sentiments, amounting to a hate crime. Overall, since this case meets the parameters of anti-Hindu hate speech, it is being added to the Hinduphobia Tracker's hate crime database. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incident dates based on when a crime occurs rather than when it is reported by the media. The exact date on which this incident occurred has not been specified. Therefore, 5th August 2026, the date on which the video went viral on social media, is being used as the indicative incident date for documentation purposes only.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
