Attack on Hindu religious sentiments: Muslim politician makes derogatory remarks against Hindu priests and saints
Goalpara, Assam, India 
3 November, 2023
Case Summary
In Goalpara district, Assam, a derogatory remark against Hindu priests and saints was made by a Muslim Congress politician, Aftab Uddin Mollah, who is an MLA. According to media reports, during a public meeting in Goalpara, Aftab Uddin Mollah delivered a speech in which he made offensive comments about Hindu priests, namgharias (caretakers of Vaishnav prayer houses) and Hindu saints. He claimed that whenever incidents of rape took place, a Sadhu or Namgharia was always involved. He stated: “Wherever there is a rape, always a Sadhu (Hindu Priest) or Namghoria is involved. They blame Muslims to hide the sins committed by Hindu Priests.” Following this, an FIR was registered based on a complaint filed by Deepak Kumar Das, a resident of Bhetapara in Guwahati. In his complaint, Das stated that the MLA had deliberately and maliciously delivered a speech that hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus. He further stated that the MLA’s words promoted enmity between Hindus and Muslims and were prejudicial to the maintenance of communal harmony. Subsequently, on 7th November 2023, Assam Congress president Bhupen Borah issued a show-cause notice to Aftab Uddin Mollah for his remarks against priests, namgharias and saints. In the notice, Borah pointed out that the comment had drawn a strong reaction from the people of Assam. He stated that the Indian National Congress, being a secular and democratic political party, opposed the spreading of hatred and communal poison, and had instead consistently worked to promote unity, integrity and social harmony amidst diversity. The Assam Congress further clarified that the party had never been against saints, priests, peers, maulanas or namgharias, and that it had always shown due respect to them. Borah also expressed his deep unhappiness with the MLA’s words and demanded that he withdraw his statement and issue a public apology before the media. Following this, on 8th November 2023, the accused, Aftab Uddin Mollah, was arrested by the police.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Hate Speech against Hindus. Within this, 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. The other subcategory selected is- Mocking/Denigrating Hindu leaders. Hate speech is defined as any speech, gesture, conduct, writing, or display that is prejudicial against a specific individual and/or group of people, which is leading to or may lead to violence, prejudicial action or hate against that individual and/or group. Religious leaders are often seen as representatives of the community, especially, the community’s religious faith and beliefs. Mocking or denigrating a religious leader specifically owing to his religious identity and/or the religious rituals he observes can be considered hate speech because the motivating factor of the speech is animosity and/or dislike for what he represents – the religious beliefs and faith of the community. It is important to note that mere insulting words against an individual do not constitute hate speech. It is entirely possible that insulting words are used for an individual, however, the specific speech is not the result of religious hate and/or animosity towards the professed faith of the religious leader, but the individual himself. For the speech to be considered hate speech, the speech itself or the motivating factor behind the speech has to be religious in nature. Such speech which denigrates Hindu religious leaders specifically owing to animosity towards the faith they profess and the community faith they represent will be treated as hate speech under this category. In this case, Congress MLA Aftab Uddin Mollah equated Hindu sadhus with rapists when he declared that “wherever there is a rape, there will be a Hindu Sadhu or a Namgharia.” By dragging revered Hindu saints, sadhus and namgharias into association with such heinous crimes, he demonstrated open hostility towards Hinduism and its religious representatives. This went far beyond words of criticism, amounting to a sweeping slur against a community’s most respected figures. Such speech is a result of animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, making it a religiously motivated hate speech. Mollah further stated that Hindus blamed Muslims in order to conceal the sins of Hindu priests. With this remark, he not only attacked Hindu saints but also attempted to portray Hindus collectively as dishonest and conspiratorial. Such generalisations painted the entire Hindu community in a criminal light, which reflected deep-seated religious animosity rather than any genuine social concern. His words were unmistakably directed at creating contempt against the Hindu community, demonstrating the religiously motivated nature of his speech. In Hindu society, saints and priests occupy a deeply revered place. They are seen as spiritual guides, moral teachers and symbols of dharmic life. Hindus regard them with the utmost respect, honouring them as people who dedicate their lives to serving God and humanity. By deliberately vilifying these revered figures, the Muslim perpetrator struck at the dignity and heart of Hindu religious identity. Despite being aware of the reverence Hindus hold for their saints, the Muslim accused chose to degrade and insult them publicly. This amounted to hate speech as it directly targeted Hindus because of their faith, ridiculed their religious leaders, and promoted the false stereotype that Hindu priests were inherently criminal. His conduct sought to inflame negative stereotypes against Hindus, making it a religiously motivated hate speech. Given that this case meets multiple parameters of a religiously motivated hate speech, it is being added to the hate crime database.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
