Hindu religious sentiments outraged; Indian Muslim politician made objectionable remarks against Lord Ram and Ayodhya Ram Temple
Uttar Pradesh, India 
30 October, 2026
Case Summary
In a video that circulated on social media on 31 October 2026, former Samajwadi Party Member of Parliament (MP) Dr S.T. Hasan made objectionable remarks about Lord Ram, questioning his birthplace and commenting on the Supreme Court's Ram Temple verdict and the findings of the Ayodhya excavation. He questioned Lord Ram's birthplace, saying that nobody really knows where Lord Ram was born. He added that more than 12 temples in Ayodhya have claimed to be Ram Lalla's birthplace. He also claimed that people in South India claim that there is another Ayodhya in southern India where Ram was born. After the video circulated, Hindu organisations strongly opposed his remarks. On 2 November 2026, workers of the International Hindu Council (Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad) and the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal jointly organised a protest march in Moradabad. The march began near Lohia Hospital, where workers raised slogans against Dr S.T. Hasan and blackened his posters to register their protest. The demonstrators subsequently proceeded to Katghar Police Station, where they submitted a written complaint seeking an impartial investigation and appropriate legal action. They also urged the police to verify the authenticity of the viral video and the statements associated with it. Rampal Singh Prajapati, district general secretary of the International Hindu Council, said abusive or objectionable remarks about Lord Ram would not be tolerated under any circumstances. He described Lord Ram as the centre of faith for millions of devotees and a symbol of Indian culture, dignity and ideals. He called for a thorough examination of the video and the statements to establish the facts. Rohan Saxena, state president of the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal, stated that Lord Ram is not merely a symbol of religious faith but also a source of inspiration for Indian culture, dignity, ideals and social life. He maintained that the remarks had hurt the religious sentiments of crores of devotees and emphasised that freedom of expression could not justify insulting anyone's religious beliefs. Several workers participated in the protest, including Abhishek Srivastava, Sushant Gupta, Vijay Sharma, Shivam, Rinku, Prince, Sunny Ganga, Jatin and Abhishek, along with other members of the organisations. The organisations reiterated that the honour of Lord Ram and devotees' religious sentiments must be respected and that such remarks should not be repeated. As the controversy intensified, Dr S.T. Hasan issued a clarification and apology following the protests. He said Lord Ram is an ideal for the entire country and that everyone respects him for the values of humanity he represents. He said that he had never intended to hurt anyone's religious sentiments and apologised if his remarks had offended anyone.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of: Hate speech against Hindus. Within it, the sub-category selected here 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. In this case, former Samajwadi Party Member of Parliament (MP) Dr S. T. Hasan made the statements. He made objectionable remarks about Lord Ram's birthplace and questioned aspects of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, including the archaeological findings and the Supreme Court's verdict. He also stated that more than 12 temples in Ayodhya claimed to be Lord Ram's birthplace. As the statements targeted a revered figure and beliefs that hold deep significance for Hindus, the incident constitutes a case of anti-Hindu hate speech. The remarks, questioning Lord Ram's birthplace in a satirical and dismissive manner, struck at one of Hinduism's most deeply cherished beliefs. Lord Ram is not simply a religious figure for Hindus. He is worshipped as the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu and revered as the embodiment of righteousness, duty, sacrifice and ideal kingship. Ayodhya holds an especially sacred place in Hindu faith as the birthplace of Lord Ram and one of the holiest pilgrimage centres. By questioning his actual birthplace and sarcastically pointing out that more than 12 temples in Ayodhya identified themselves as his birthplace, Hasan made a deeply sacred belief sound contradictory and worthy of ridicule. For Hindus, Lord Ram's birthplace was never an ordinary matter of geographical dispute; it was inseparably linked to their faith, devotion and cultural identity. Making light of this belief undermined the sanctity attached to Lord Ram and showed disregard for the sentiments of millions of devotees who have revered him across generations. Of equal concern were Hasan's remarks about the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, which questioned the historical, archaeological and religious foundations of a site that holds immense importance for Hindus. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple is not merely a place of worship; it represents generations of devotion and a long-held religious aspiration associated with the birthplace of Lord Ram. By questioning the archaeological findings at the site and commenting on the Supreme Court's verdict, Hasan cast doubt on matters that were deeply connected to Hindu religious faith. His reference to the absence of temple remains at the excavated site, coupled with his claim that the Supreme Court delivered its verdict based on public sentiment to end the dispute, undermined the religious and historical significance Hindus attach to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi. For devotees, the temple means far more than its physical structure: it stands as a symbol of their devotion to Lord Ram and the religious importance of his birthplace. Questioning its historical and religious foundations hurt sentiments attached to one of the most sacred sites in Hinduism and dismissed an aspiration that had held profound significance for millions of Hindus. Collectively, these remarks struck at the core of Hindu religious faith by ridiculing the sanctity of Lord Ram's birthplace and questioning the historical and religious foundations of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi. The statements displayed disregard for beliefs deeply cherished by millions of Hindus and undermined the religious and civilisational significance attached to one of Hinduism's holiest sites. Such remarks went beyond ordinary political discourse and constituted an affront to Hindu religious identity, devotion and collective sentiments. Overall, since this case met several parameters of anti-Hindu hate speech, it is being added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
