Indian political leader mocks Hindu religious event of Maha Kumbh; calls it 'faltu'
India 
15 February, 2025
Case Summary
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad stirred controversy on Sunday when he referred to the Maha Kumbh as "faaltu" (meaningless). His comments came while discussing the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station, in which 18 people lost their lives and many others were injured as passengers rushed to board trains heading to Prayagraj. When asked about the large crowds attending the mega religious gathering and the need for better crowd management, Prasad remarked, “Kumbh ka kahan koi matlab hai. Faltu hai Kumbh (Is there any meaning to Kumbh?... It is just meaningless).” The RJD chief described the incident as "unfortunate" and blamed the mismanagement by the Railways for the tragedy. "The incident is very unfortunate, and I offer my condolences to the victims. This is mismanagement by the Railways, which led to the loss of so many lives. The Railway Minister should take responsibility," Prasad, a former Railways Minister, said. Bihar BJP spokesperson Manoj Sharma criticised Prasad’s remarks, accusing him of undermining Hindu religious sentiments due to his appeasement politics. "He is making such comments because of his politics of appeasement. The RJD leaders have always insulted the religious sentiments of Hindus. Lalu Prasad’s latest statement, calling the Maha Kumbh meaningless, exposes the party’s mindset towards Hinduism," Sharma was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha alleged that Prasad was politicising the incident, stating, "He has always attacked Sanatan dharma, and their mindset is clearly reflected in their attitude towards Sanatan Dharma and its religious leaders. These people have even abandoned their own values for the sake of appeasement." At least 18 people were killed in the stampede at the crowded New Delhi Railway Station, after some passengers slipped and fell while descending from a foot-over bridge. More than a dozen others were injured. Delhi Police stated that the initial investigation found that the confusion between the 'Prayagraj Express' and the 'Prayagraj Special', when an announcement was made for the latter, led to the incident.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the category of- Hate speech against Hindus. 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. Lalu Prasad's statement calling the Maha Kumbh "faltu" (meaningless) can be seen as a reflection of religiously motivated prejudice, as it targets a major Hindu religious gathering with dismissive and derogatory language. The Kumbh Mela is one of the largest religious congregations in the world, deeply significant to millions of Hindus. By describing it as meaningless, Prasad's remarks undermine the sacredness and devotion attached to this event by Hindus, and in doing so, display a clear disregard for Hindu religious sentiments. Since Lalu Yadav's statement aligns with the broader framework of religiously motivated hate crimes, as it involves the denigration of Hinduism, this case has been added to the tracker.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
State and Establishment
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
