Hindu faith insulted: Ambedkarites make derogatory comments about Hindu deities in Madhya Pradesh
Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India 
5 October, 2025
Case Summary
In Bhitarwar, Gwalior district, Madhya Pradesh, Hindu deities were abused by Ambedkarite groups in response to comments made by a Hindu lawyer about Dr BR Ambedkar. According to media reports, the controversy began in Gwalior with remarks concerning Dr Ambedkar. On 6th October 2025, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against Anil Mishra, a High Court lawyer and former president of the Bar Association, after a video of him surfaced on WhatsApp in which he referred to Dr Ambedkar as a “dirty man” and a “British agent” and stated his intention to eliminate Ambedkar’s name from public discourse. The FIR was lodged under Sections 223, 353(2), and 196(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Following the FIR, members of the Hindu community began protesting. In retaliation, some Dalit Ambedkarite organisations made derogatory remarks about lawyer Anil Mishra and Hindu deities. Videos containing such remarks began circulating, further inflaming tensions. In response, members of the Hindu community assembled in Bhitarwar town and submitted a memorandum to Station House Officer (SHO) Hitendra Rathore in the evening. The memorandum demanded that the police identify all individuals who had made derogatory comments about Hindu deities and take prompt and decisive action against them. Community representatives warned that if action was not taken against the offenders, they would be compelled to launch an organised movement, holding the police and the administration entirely responsible for the consequences. SHO Hitendra Rathore, who was present at the scene, assured the protesters that the police were continuously monitoring social media and had already begun action by issuing notices to those making indecent and derogatory remarks.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category selected in 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 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 represents a clear instance of anti-Hindu hate speech. The controversy began when Anil Mishra, a High Court lawyer and former President of the Bar Association in Gwalior, made remarks criticising Indian politician Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, referring to him as a “dirty man” and a “British agent”. In reaction to this political criticism, Ambedkarite groups, instead of limiting their disagreement to the political sphere, launched abusive remarks against Hindu deities. This response was wholly disproportionate and indicative of religious animosity. For criticism directed at a historical political figure, the reaction of abusing and denigrating Hindu deities — the central symbols of Hindu faith and devotion — reflects deep-seated hostility towards Hinduism itself. Such responses exceed the bounds of political disagreement and turn into direct attacks on the Hindu religion and those who follow it, qualifying as anti-Hindu hate speech. The Ambedkarite groups not only abused the deities but also hurled insults at Anil Mishra personally. Given that they had already expressed hatred towards Hindu deities, their verbal attacks on Anil Mishra were clearly influenced by religious contempt. The abuse carried strong religious undertones, not purely targeting his political remarks but his Hindu identity. Mishra was not attacked for his profession or legal standing but for being a Hindu who expressed an opinion about a figure venerated by their group. Targeting a Hindu individual and associating that attack with hatred towards the deities he reveres constitutes religiously motivated hate speech. It demonstrates hostility not towards a political statement, but towards a religious identity. Ambedkarism, a political ideology, has often taken on an overtly anti-Hindu expression. Numerous incidents across the country have shown Ambedkarite groups abusing or mocking Hindu deities under the pretext of "critiquing Hinduism" or "opposing casteism". While constructive debate on social reform is part of India’s plural fabric, deliberate denigration of Hindu gods and the vilification of the Hindu community under this guise have transformed many such actions into organised hate propaganda against Hinduism. This ideology, when manifested in such hate-driven speech and acts, no longer remains a social critique but becomes an assault on the religious sentiments and identity of Hindus, making it an unmistakable example of anti-Hindu hate speech. Given that this case meets the parameters of religiously motivated hate speech, it is being documented and added to the Hate Crime Database of the Hinduphobia Tracker.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
