Hindu saints abused with derogatory slurs, sacred Hindu scripture falsely vilified by Indian politician
Uttar Pradesh, India 
21 January, 2023
Case Summary
Derogatory anti-Hindu remarks targeting Hindu saints and revered Hindu scripture, Ramcharitamanas, were made by senior Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Swami Prasad Maurya. According to media reports, the accused defamed Hindu saints by referring to them as Atankis (terrorists) and Jallad (executioners). Earlier, on 22nd January 2023, the accused triggered controversy when he stated that certain verses of the Ramcharitmanas insulted a large section of society based on caste. He then demanded that those verses be banned. “If there is any insult to a section of society due to certain lines in the Ramcharitmanas on the basis of jaati (caste), varna (class), and varga (group), then it was certainly not dharma (righteousness); it was adharma (unrighteousness). There are certain lines in which names of castes such as teli (oil presser) and kumhaar (potter) are mentioned,” he had stated. Swami Prasad Maurya stood by his position, saying that he had referred to a particular verse in the Ramcharitmanas and not to Lord Ram or any religion. He refused to withdraw his statement, asserting that he had spoken in his personal capacity and not as a member of the Samajwadi Party. Maurya also asserted that 80 per cent of people on social media supported him. On 24th January 2023, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against the accused over his anti-Hindu remarks on the Ramcharitmanas. The case against Maurya was registered at the Hazratganj Police Station for outraging religious sentiments. The FIR was lodged based on a complaint submitted by a man named Shivendra Mishra, a resident of the Aishbagh locality in Lucknow.
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- 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. The other 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- Subversion of scriptures. Subverting the religious scriptures of Hindus has particularly devastating consequences. Subversion of the scriptures of Hindus is often done to justify or promote hatred, discrimination, or violence against specific individuals or groups of Hindus. Religious scriptures are often nuanced and those who harbour religious animosity towards Hindus often misquote or misrepresent the scripture to legitimise their animosity and hate towards the faith and its adherents. Any such misquoting of scriptures or subversion to justify hate, violence and discrimination against Hindus owing to religious animosity is hate speech and is categorised as such. In this case, the remarks made by the Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh minister, Swami Prasad Maurya, amounted to anti-Hindu hate speech. His description of revered Hindu saints as “terrorists” and “executioners'' reflected deep-seated religious animosity. In Hindu tradition, saints, seers, and spiritual teachers are revered as guides who uphold moral and spiritual order. To label them with such derogatory terms not only vilified their sacred stature but also targeted the Hindu faith collectively. Such language, directed at figures considered embodiments of divinity and virtue, strikes at the heart of a community’s belief system and clearly constitutes hate speech rooted in prejudice against Hindu identity. The politician further insulted Hindu sentiments by denigrating the revered Hindu scripture Ramcharitmanas, asserting that it promoted caste-based discrimination. The Ramcharitmanas, composed by Goswami Tulsidas, is one of the most sacred and widely respected texts in Hinduism, recited by millions across India and the Hindu diaspora. It conveys the ideals of dharma, devotion, and moral duty through the life of Lord Ram, who symbolises righteousness and virtue. Misrepresenting the scripture as a tool of discrimination is not only a grave distortion but an attempt to sow division within the Hindu community. Propagating such misinterpretations weakens the unity among the Hindu community. This rhetoric, therefore, amounted to deliberate anti-Hindu slurring and mocking of the faith. It demeaned sacred traditions, disrespected revered religious figures, and attempted to frame Hindu values as regressive or discriminatory. Such acts do not merely offend sentiments—they undermine the very foundation of collective faith and harmony within the Hindu community. By misquoting or misinterpreting revered scriptures to promote divisive narratives, such conduct effectively subverts the sanctity of Hindu texts. The selective distortion of scripture for political or ideological gain constitutes a form of propaganda aimed at discrediting sacred Hindu teachings. It erodes trust in millennia-old traditions rooted in compassion, equality, and dharma. This systematic subversion of Hindu religious heritage is not merely rhetorical—it is part of a wider pattern of disparaging Hindu identity under the guise of social critique. Given that this case meets the parameters of an anti-Hindu hate speech, it is being added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
