Hindu festival Karwa Chauth targeted through objectionable Facebook comment by Muslim man in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh
Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, India 
28 October, 2026
Case Summary
In Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, a Muslim youth posted an objectionable comment on Facebook targeting Karwa Chauth, a revered Hindu festival. He also mocked married Hindu women who were fasting for the good health and long life of their husbands. According to media reports, on 29th October 2026, the Muslim perpetrator posted a derogatory comment mocking the festival and the Hindu women observing the fast. He offered himself as an available husband to women whose husbands were away, stating that he was free for anyone who needed a husband on Karwa Chauth. The remark mocked the Hindu festival, and members of the Hindu community objected that it hurt the sentiments of married Hindu women who observed the fast as an expression of devotion and prayers for their husbands' well-being. The youth was identified as Sheikh Anwar Raja alias Sheikh Mohammad, 35, son of Razaul Mustaq and a resident of Ward No. 8 in Ratsar Kala, under the jurisdiction of Garwar police station. He was also identified as a student leader. The post came to light on 30th October 2026, prompting objections from members of Hindu organisations, who condemned the remark and demanded police action. Following the complaints, Garwar police detained the youth for questioning. The police subsequently registered an FIR and arrested him on 30th October 2026. Station House Officer Hitesh Kumar confirmed the arrest and stated that legal proceedings were underway. The objectionable Facebook post was subsequently deleted.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category selected for this case is: 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 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. The religious dimension of this case lies in the public mockery of Karwa Chauth, a revered Hindu religious and cultural observance during which married Hindu women fast and offer prayers for the long life, good health and well-being of their husbands. By using the occasion to make an inappropriate insinuation about Hindu women observing the fast, the Muslim perpetrator turned a religious practice rooted in Hindu devotion and marital commitment into an object of ridicule. Karwa Chauth is an important Hindu religious and cultural festival observed by married Hindu women, who undertake a day-long fast, traditionally abstaining from food and water, and offer prayers to seek the long life, good health, prosperity and well-being of their husbands. The fast is traditionally broken after sighting the moon, following prayers and religious rituals. The observance holds deep significance in Hindu marital traditions and is regarded by Hindu women as an expression of devotion, love and commitment towards their husbands. The perpetrator trivialised this sacred observance by offering himself as an alternative husband to Hindu women whose husbands were away. This inappropriate insinuation ridiculed the religious purpose of the festival and demeaned Hindu women participating in it, reducing an occasion of faith, devotion and marital commitment to a subject of personal mockery. The public nature of the Facebook comment further extended the ridicule to a wider audience. By specifically invoking Karwa Chauth and directing his remark at Hindu women observing the festival, the perpetrator made a recognised Hindu religious tradition the subject of public derision. This demonstrated disregard for the religious sentiments of Hindu women and the wider Hindu community, for whom the festival carries religious, cultural and familial significance. The incident therefore went beyond an inappropriate remark about marriage. It involved the use of a Hindu religious occasion to ridicule a religious practice and demean Hindu women who observed it. Targeting both the festival and its participants reflected contempt towards Hindu religious traditions and the sentiments of the Hindu community. Therefore, this case 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
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