Case Summary

In Bhadohi, Uttar Pradesh, Hindu religious sentiments were hurt after obscene and objectionable remarks targeting Maa Durga were posted on Facebook during Navratri. On 22 October 2026, Hindu Jagran Manch submitted a written complaint to Circle Officer Sumit Tripathi against the operator of the Facebook account “Bharat Desh Bharat India”, seeking legal action over the objectionable content directed at Maa Durga. The complaint was submitted under the leadership of district coordinator Rameshwar Singh, who stated that using abusive language against Maa Jagatjanani during the auspicious festival of Navratri was disgraceful and hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus. Hindu Jagran Manch demanded that the police register a case under the relevant legal provisions against the person responsible and take necessary action. The complainants included Ashish, Lalji Yadav, Sandesh Srivastava, Rajmani Pal, Pankaj Jaiswal, Harishankar Yadav, Amit Singh, Rakesh Yadav, Brijesh Pandey, and Rameshwar Singh. Circle Officer Sumit Tripathi confirmed receipt of the complaint and said the matter would be investigated, with further action to follow based on the findings.

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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 use 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 that 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 be used 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 from 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. The hate crime aspect of this incident lies in the use of obscene and derogatory words to target Maa Durga, a revered deity in Hindu Dharma. For Hindus, Maa Durga represents divine feminine power, protection and the triumph of good over evil. Her worship is central to Navratri, a festival dedicated to honouring the Divine Mother. Directing obscene remarks at her during this sacred period therefore denigrates a figure of profound religious importance and disrespects the faith of her devotees. The deliberate use of derogatory language against Hindu deities can turn religious devotion into a target of ridicule and convey contempt for the beliefs of Hindu worshippers. Such expressions go beyond general offensive speech when they demean figures central to Hindu religious identity and worship. Although social media provides the freedom to express one's thoughts and opinions, such expressions of vicious hatred have created a crack in the existing Hindu cultural system of society. Because Hindu identity is religious, it makes it easy for people to target it regularly. The intent behind such actions could only possibly be that of provoking Hindus and showing disrespect towards their faith. Since such callous behaviour can only stem from a profound contempt for the Hindu religion, this case deserves to be recorded in this hate tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on when the event occurred or when the victim’s ordeal began. The source did not mention the precise date the objectionable posts targeting Maa Durga were uploaded on Facebook. Therefore, for documentation purposes, 22 October 2026, the date on which Hindu Jagran Manch submitted its complaint to the Bhadohi Circle Officer, has been recorded as the indicative incident date.