Muslim journalist records videos of Hindu women devotees taking bath during Maha Kumbh, mocks the ritual bath and Hindu deities

Case Summary
A journalist from Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, was arrested for making objectionable social media posts about the Maha Kumbh ritual bath and Hindu deities. The journalist, Kamran Alvi, who runs a website and newspaper, shared a video of women participating in the Maha Kumbh ritual bath and added inappropriate remarks. Authorities stated that Alvi's post included a derogatory comment on the ritual bath, which attracted attention from the state administration. A case was filed against him after the incident was reported. Assistant Superintendent of Police Akhilesh Narayan Singh confirmed the arrest, explaining that Alvi had shared an offensive video on social media along with inappropriate comments. The police registered a case and detained him promptly.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added under two prime categories of the tracker. The first is- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Attack against Hindu devotees. Hindu devotees are a few of the easiest targets of religiously motivated hate crimes because during the festival/procession/puja etc, for non-Hindus it is easy to profile their victims on the basis of religion. Hindu devotees come under attack on several occasions by individual non-Hindus or mobs of non-Hindus owing to their animosity against Hinduism, its symbols and tradition/practices. There are several instances of Hindu devotees being attacked while they worship in temples or temporary religious structures, during religious processions, doing bhajan/kirtan/puja in their own homes, in the residential society etc. These attacks are perpetrated by non-Hindus primarily because of their animosity towards Hindus and their faith. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, there are two elements that make these hate crimes. First, the Hindus who come under attack are attacked violently while indulging in religious activity. Whether they are in a place of worship or not is immaterial to the crime. When individuals are attacked while indulging in religious practices, the attack in itself is a hindrance to their freedom to practice religion and therefore constitutes a hate crime. Secondly, religious supremacist doctrines and ideologies deem the religious practices of Hindus to be offensive ab initio since they are considered “sinful” by these ideologies, worthy to be annihilated by force or coercion. Driven by these religious supremacist ideologies and doctrines, the attacks against Hindu devotees stem from intrinsic animosity towards Hinduism. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, it develops into a religiously motivated crime during the course of the violence. Since these attacks stem from animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, they are considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. The second category under which this case has been placed is- Hate speech against Hindus and within this, the sub-category 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. A Muslim journalist was caught recording videos of Hindu women devotees while they were taking a ritual bath during the Maha Kumbh. He not only invaded their privacy but also mocked the sacred rituals and Hindu deities. His actions were clearly intended to humiliate Hindu women and denigrate their religious practices. The deliberate act of recording and ridiculing Hindu traditions during such a revered event demonstrates an intent to insult the faith and devotion of millions. This behaviour is reflective of religious supremacist doctrines and ideologies that view Hindu religious practices as offensive and "sinful" ab initio. Such ideologies deem the very existence of these practices to be inferior or wrong, fueling hostility toward Hindu rituals. This incident, therefore, is a blatant example of a religiously motivated hate crime, targeting Hindu beliefs and the sanctity of the Maha Kumbh.

Case Status
Arrested

Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male