Hindu faith targeted: Muslim man makes derogatory remarks against Hindu deities on social media
Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
26 June, 2026
Case Summary
In Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, derogatory material targeting Hindu deities was uploaded on social media by a Muslim man named Zafar Alam Qureshi. Qureshi, a resident of Nai Basti Gadhiyana, uploaded the offensive content on his social media account on 27 June 2026. Although the post was deleted shortly afterwards, screenshots of the content continued to circulate across various social media platforms. Nearly two months after the original post was uploaded, its screenshots began circulating widely and continued to be shared for four days. The matter came to the attention of the police after the Karna Vasu Sena account on Twitter raised a complaint and tagged the police regarding the post. The Chakeri police took cognisance of the matter and began investigating the viral screenshots and the evidence connected to the post. During the investigation, the police verified the authenticity of the content and identified Zafar Alam Qureshi as the person who had uploaded it. On 25 August 2026, a police team from the Chakeri police station arrested Qureshi from his residence in Nai Basti Gadhiyana. ACP Chakeri Ashutosh Kumar Singh confirmed the arrest and stated that the evidence gathered during the investigation formed the basis for action against the accused. Legal proceedings were initiated against Qureshi for hurting religious sentiments and spreading enmity among different groups.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is being 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 is a clear example of a religiously motivated hate crime because the Muslim perpetrator deliberately made derogatory and objectionable remarks against Hindu deities on social media. To understand the severity of the offence, it is necessary to recognise the religious significance that Hindu deities hold in Hinduism. Hindu deities represent the spiritual core of the faith and are among the most sacred objects of devotion for Hindus. They are revered as divine gods, protectors, guides and embodiments of spiritual principles. For generations, Hindus have grown up with devotion to these deities being deeply embedded in their daily lives through prayers, aartis, bhajans, temple visits, religious festivals and important moments of personal and family life. Their images, names and teachings form an integral part of Hindu religious identity and spiritual life. Consequently, Hindu deities are not merely religious symbols but sacred figures with whom devotees share deep emotional, cultural and spiritual bonds. Therefore, the act of making derogatory remarks against Hindu deities was a direct attack on something Hindus hold sacred and deeply revere as part of their religious identity. By abusing and disrespecting these divine figures, the perpetrator hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu community and demeaned beliefs that form an integral part of their spiritual, cultural and collective life. Hindu deities are not merely symbols but sacred figures central to the faith and devotion of millions of Hindus; therefore, publicly insulting them amounted to an attack on the dignity of the Hindu faith itself. The deliberate targeting of these revered figures demonstrates religious animosity towards Hindu beliefs and the community that follows them, making this incident a clear case of a religiously motivated hate crime. The deliberate use of social media further aggravated the nature of the offence. By posting the derogatory content on a public digital platform, the perpetrator enabled the abuse of Hindu deities to reach a wider audience, thereby amplifying its potential to humiliate Hindus and cause greater offence to their religious sentiments. Although the original post was subsequently deleted, screenshots continued to circulate across social media and went viral nearly two months after it was uploaded, continuing to cause offence to members of the Hindu community. The continued circulation of the material demonstrated the wider impact that the online abuse had beyond the original post. Overall, since this case meets the parameters of a religiously motivated hate crime, it is being added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
