Case Summary

In Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Hindu religious sentiments were insulted after objectionable and derogatory comments were made against the Durga pandal by a Muslim man named Arbaaz Ali. According to reports, a Durga Pandal was erected by the Jayprakash Durga Utsav Samiti on the theme of "Love Jihad" to raise awareness during the Navratri festival. A video of the pandal was recorded by a Hindu man named Anup Patel, a resident of Adhartal, and uploaded to social media, where it attracted significant attention. Enraged by this, the Muslim accused, Arbaaz Ali, made indecent and derogatory comments on this video, targeting both the pandal and Goddess Durga, both based on the theme of love jihad. He also posted a photo of himself holding a gun on his social media profile. The comments sparked outrage among local Hindu residents, including members of a Hindu organisation, who visited the Aadartal police station and filed a report. Screenshots of his comments and the gun photo were submitted to the police as evidence. Upon reviewing the evidence, the police confirmed the comments were indecent and disruptive, and they registered a case against Arbaaz Ali under sections 296 and 353(2) of the Indian Penal Code. As of the date of writing this report, the investigation was ongoing, and efforts were underway to nab the accused.

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Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been 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 has been added to the hate crime database because the Muslim accused, Arbaaz Ali, deliberately posted derogatory remarks against a Durga pandal and Goddess Durga during the Navratri festival, intending to insult the religious sentiments of the Hindu community. Hindu deities and symbols are an integral part of the Hindu religion and are highly revered by Hindus. They hold deep spiritual and cultural significance for Hindus. Any attempt to mock or abuse them reflects hostility towards Hinduism. In this case, the objectionable comments were a direct attack on the sanctity of the Hindu faith. It was not a random or careless act but a calculated effort to provoke and disrespect Hindu religious practices, borne out of animosity towards the Hindu faith. The Durga pandal, themed on “Love Jihad,” sought to raise awareness about a very real and serious issue confronting Hindu society—the exploitation and conversion of Hindu women through deceit. In response, the accused did not engage in any form of dialogue or disagreement; instead, he resorted to abusing the pandal and denigrating Goddess Durga herself. One cannot express disagreement by denigrating the faith of an entire community. By making obscene remarks against a sacred Hindu structure and posting a photo of himself holding a gun, the accused demonstrated not only contempt for Hindu beliefs but also an intent to provoke, intimidate, and humiliate Hindu devotees. This was not casual online misconduct but a targeted attempt to insult the Hindu religion and those who stand up to expose religious exploitation. Desecrating a place of worship or insulting a deity, especially when the pandal represented a legitimate social and religious concern, is a direct attack on Hindu identity. Such actions clearly stem from deep-seated animosity towards Hinduism and amount to a hate crime against the Hindu community. In recent times, social media has increasingly become a platform for anti-Hindu hate, with derogatory memes, videos, and messages targeting Hindu religious symbols, practices, and deities. Such content is recognised as part of a broader pattern of Hinduphobia and religious hate crimes online. This deliberate targeting of a revered Hindu deity and the Durga pandal firmly establishes this act as a religiously motivated hate crime; therefore, it is being categorised under the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer - The Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on when an event occurred or when the victim's ordeal began. None of the media sources covering this case has specified the exact date when the comments were made, though it was stated that the video was posted on 1 October 2025. Therefore, for documentation purposes, the date has been recorded based on when the video was posted on social media.