Fake news peddled against Hindus about about 'Muslim woman' being killed by 'Hindu lover'

Case Summary
On January 24, Islamists on X (formerly Twitter) circulated false claims about the murder of a Muslim woman by her Hindu husband to promote the ‘Bhagwa Love Trap (BLT)’ conspiracy theory. Handles like ‘Tanvir Rangrez’ and ‘Adv. Nazneen Akhtar’ claimed that a Muslim woman, Gulnaz, was killed, dismembered, and her body stored in a refrigerator by her husband, Sanjay Patidar. These posts falsely linked the case to the Shraddha Walker murder, where a Hindu woman was murdered by her Muslim partner, presenting a communal narrative. A video of police investigating the crime scene was shared to support these claims. However, the incident occurred in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, and involved a Hindu victim, Pratibha Prajapati, who was murdered in March 2024 by her live-in partner, Sanjay Patidar. There was no communal angle in the case. The misinformation turned out to be a part of ongoing attempts to promote the BLT conspiracy theory, which alleges that Hindu men target Muslim women to convert them to Hinduism. Despite lacking evidence, this narrative gained traction among radicals on social media, leading to harassment, moral policing, and violence against interfaith couples.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Hate speech against Hindus. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Anti-Hindu subversion and prejudice. Further, the tertiary category selected under this is- Anti-Hindu fake news or downplaying. 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. Media plays a specific and overarching reach in perpetuating prejudicial attitudes towards a community owing to unfair, untrue coverage and/or misrepresentation/misinterpretation, selective coverage and/or omission of facts of/pertaining to issues affecting a specific religious group. This type of bias can dehumanise the victim group, making it easier for others to justify harmful actions against them, which aligns with the objectives of hate speech laws aimed at preventing such harm. It is often observed that the media takes a prejudicial stand against the Hindu community driven by their need to shield the aggressor community which happens to be a numeric minority, however, is the one perpetrating violence against Hindus. For example, the media is often quick to contextualise religiously motivated crimes against Hindus, omit or misrepresent facts that point towards religiously motivated hate crimes, justify and/or downplay religiously motivated hate crimes or simply present fake news to stereotype Hindus. Such media bias leads to the denial of persecution and is often used to dehumanise Hindus, leading to justification for violence against them. For example, the media covered several fake allegations of Hindus targeting Muslims and forcing them to chant Jai Shree Ram. Most of these cases were proved false and fabricated after police investigation. These fake news reports were subsequently never retracted or clarified. Such fake news led to the justification of violence and dehumanisation of Hindus based on the argument that since Hindus targeted Muslims and forced them to chant Jai Shree Ram, the dehumanisation of Hindus and violence against them was par for the course and merely a retaliation. Such media bias leads to prejudicial portrayal of Hindus and offers a justification for violence against them and therefore, is considered hate speech under this category. In this instance, certain anti-Hindu forces attempted to spread false news about a Muslim woman being murdered by her Hindu husband. However, it turned out that the case had no communal angle. The intent behind spreading this fake news was to fuel the 'Bhagwa Love Trap' conspiracy theory, a baseless propaganda campaign amplified through WhatsApp groups and extensive social media use, often supported by fabricated pamphlets to appear credible. This campaign emerged as a reaction to documented sectarian crimes against Hindu women in relationships with Muslim men, where these women have often been subjected to forceful conversions to Islam, threats, assault, and even murder—crimes rooted in their Hindu identity and refusal to abandon it. To delegitimize and divert attention from such crimes, sections of the Muslim community promoted the 'Bhagwa Love Trap' narrative to falsely accuse Hindu men of targeting Muslim women for conversion. By twisting legitimate concerns about sectarian violence into a bogus conspiracy theory, this narrative not only trivializes the suffering of Hindu women but also incites targeted hostility against Hindu men. As the theory gained traction, Muslim mobs began targeting Hindu men seen in any association with Muslim women, including offering a ride or friendship. In many cases, these Hindu men were assaulted without evidence of wrongdoing, solely based on communal bias. What differentiates these fabricated cases from documented sectarian crimes is the absence of coercion, violence, or religious pressure, which are the hallmarks of crimes targeting Hindu women in interfaith relationships. Instead, this propaganda misrepresented consensual or non-sectarian relationships to demonise Hindu men, as seen in this incident where the crime was falsely given a communal angle to malign Hindus. This intentional misrepresentation by anti-Hindu forces amplifies the 'Bhagwa Love Trap' conspiracy theory, furthering its divisive and hateful agenda. It highlights the deep-rooted animosity these individuals hold against Hindus and their faith. Consequently, such acts of framing and communalising incidents to tarnish the image of Hindus are recorded as religiously motivated hate crimes in the Hinduphobia tracker.

Case Status
Unknown

Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown