Hindu pilgrims singing bhajans denigrated by Muslim 'journalist', other Muslims drew false equivalence to namaz in public places
India 
4 February, 2023
Case Summary
On 5th February 2023, an anti-Hindu remark targeting Hindu devotees was made by a self-proclaimed Muslim journalist named Mohammad Tanvir. The accused described Hindus singing bhajans on a train as 'Mujra'. Mujra is a dance form performed by courtesans during the Mughal era for the Mughal rulers and nawabs. This dance form is eroticised and sexualised. Several other anti-Hindu social media users also contributed by drawing a false equivalence between the bhajans and namaz in public places. In his tweet, Tanvir shared a video of Hindus travelling to Ayodhya on a train and tagged the Rail Ministry while complaining about the scene. He questioned, “Hello Ministry of Railways, why is Bhajan Kirtan happening on this train travelling to Ayodhya from Indore? If a Muslim had offered namaz for five minutes, he would have been arrested by now. If offering namaz on the train is wrong, how is Bhajan Kirtan acceptable? Hello Ashini Vaishnaw, will any action be taken against this?” In a follow-up tweet, he used derogatory language, stating, “The person in Khadi who is participating in Bhajan Kirtan is a prominent Congress leader from Indore. He is taking people to Ayodhya for free and having a Mujra done on the train.” Tanvir writes for Report Look. His tweet was amplified by journalist Rohini Singh. Another Muslim journalist, Ahmed Khabeer of The Jamia Times, questioned, “If offering namaz on a train is a crime then what is this?” A self-styled social media activist, Shahnawaz Ansari, said, “This is a video of Shri Ram devotees travelling from Indore to Ayodhya. Everything is allowed for them on the train. If a Muslim offers namaz for ten minutes on the train, his videos go viral, an FIR is registered against him, and he is arrested. People suffering from Islamophobia then debate on it.” Notably, Hindu pilgrims were singing bhajans and dancing to religious music as part of their worship in a train that had been privately booked by them. In contrast, when Muslims offer namaz, they obstruct other passengers on the train and attempt to impose their faith in a public place. Such acts are used to mock the faith of Hindus. The video was initially shared by Congress Member of Legislative Assembly Sanjay Shukla, who arranged an annual religious trip to Ayodhya for devotees. That year, 600 devotees accompanied him from Indore. Shukla arranged everything for them, including tickets, lodging, travel, and darshan at Ayodhya. He expressed his dismay over the comment and stated, “This is their mentality. I do not want to comment on this. I am fulfilling my duties. They can do whatever they want to do. I am doing whatever I believe is right. It is for Dharma. I am doing it for Dharma, and I will continue to do it.” As 600 devotees were travelling together, it was highly unlikely that any other passenger was in the carriage at the time the video was recorded. Lawyer Vikas Pareek commented on Tanvir’s post, stating that he would file a First Information Report against the journalist for using derogatory language. In a tweet, Pareek tagged the Uttar Pradesh Cyber Crime Unit and said, “The use of such derogatory words like Mujra for ‘Bhajan Kirtan’ not only hurts the religious sentiments of Hindu communities but also degrades the dignity of women. Please take cognisance of the offence and take appropriate legal action against the offender.” Regarding this matter, lawyer and journalist Vivek Verma stated, “They were neither disturbing Muslims nor others, as the coach was booked by Hindus only as a group of pilgrims. In the namaz video, one Muslim man prevented a Hindu from occupying a seat, which is a criminal offence.”
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is being 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. In this case, the accused, Mohammad Tanvir, a Muslim journalist, first denigrated Hindu devotees by labelling their singing of bhajans as "mujra." Bhajans hold profound religious significance in Hinduism. Here, it was sung in devotion to Lord Ram by the pilgrims travelling to Ayodhya. These devotional songs evoke the presence, virtues, and divine grace of Lord Ram, who symbolises dharma, righteousness, and the victory of good over evil. Bhajans create an atmosphere of serenity, spiritual healing, and heartfelt devotion, binding devotees together in religious worship. To equate such revered bhajans with mujra—a sexualised and perverted dance form performed by courtesans in Mughal courts—is a direct affront to the religious sentiments of Hindus. This deliberate denigration aims to insult and demean the Hindu faith and its religious practices, constituting an unmistakable instance of anti-Hindu hate speech motivated by religious animosity. Furthermore, the accused, alongside other Muslim journalists and social media influencers, propagated false equivalences by comparing the bhajans to namaz rows in public spaces. It is critical to understand that in this instance, Hindu devotees had booked the entire train, thereby making their devotional singing and kirtan both appropriate and respectful within their private space. Contrarily, reported instances of namaz rows involve random public stoppages such as blocking streets or train passageways, causing disruption and inconvenience to non-Muslim passengers. The false comparison drawn between the organised, private bhajan kirtan and such public disturbances is a deliberate attempt to spread hostility toward Hindus and their practices. This misrepresentation reveals the deep-seated animosity harboured by the perpetrators against Hindu worship and community. Given that this incident clearly meets the parameters of religiously motivated hate speech designed to insult and disparage Hindus and their faith, it has been included in the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: In this case, although the primary accused who denigrated Hindu devotees is Mohammad Tanveer, it is important to note that alongside him, other Muslims, including Ahmed Khabeer and Shahnawaz Ansari, have also spread false equivalences, thereby exacerbating and reinforcing the hateful nature of this crime. Consequently, for the purpose of thorough documentation, we are recording the perpetrator count as '3', referring collectively to all three accused.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
