Case Summary

In the Mandirbazar area of South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, derogatory and obscene images of Hindu deities were posted on social media by a Muslim man named Madhu Molla. BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari highlighted the anti-Hindu post on X (formerly Twitter), drawing public attention to the offensive content shared by Molla, who runs a Facebook page titled Pagalir Pagal (পাগলীর পাগল). The image showed a child urinating on Lord Shiva, accompanied by a highly abusive caption targeting the deity’s mother. The caption read: “Mahadev ki maa ki...” followed by explicit swear words. The offensive act triggered outrage among the Hindu community. Locals lodged a complaint at the Mandirbazar police station against the accused, who is identified as the son of Mashruf Molla and a resident of Ramnathpur. As of the date of writing this report, a case has been registered by the police. The offensive post was deleted, and the accused’s profile has been locked. However, it remains unclear whether he has been arrested.

Case Images

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category - Attack on Hindu religious representations. Within it, the sub-category selected is: - Iconoclastic representation of Hindu Gods/Goddesses. An icon is a symbol of someone or something that is revered, or a religious representation of a spiritual ideal. Iconography is of vital significance in the Hindu milieu. It helps connect people’s spiritual beliefs with the real world. Iconography within the Hindu faith takes several shapes and forms. Murtis are of most significance to Hindus, to which daily rituals, prayers and offerings are done. Besides the murtis, there are several other symbols which have deep significance in the Hindu faith – the Om and Swastika for example. Any iconoclastic representation of these symbols, images and murtis is an affront to the religious beliefs and faith of the Hindu community itself since the symbols and icons are deeply religious in nature. In this sub-category of crime, we would record hate crimes and iconoclastic representations, in words, art, or any other form of representations of symbols that hold religious significance for the Hindu community. Since these symbols, icons and murtis are central to the Hindu faith, any iconoclastic representation of these symbols is born out of animosity towards the faith itself, manifesting itself through these symbols and therefore, these representations would be considered religiously motivated hated crimes. The other primary category selected is - Hate speech against Hindus. Within it, 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. This case has been added to the tracker because Hindu sentiments were insulted by a Muslim man who shared an objectionable post about Hindu deities, accompanied by a derogatory caption. This constitutes hate speech against Hindus as it involves deliberate and public expressions aimed at humiliating and provoking the religious sentiments of the Hindu community. The accused shared an obscene image of a child urinating on Lord Shiva, one of the most revered deities in Hinduism, which establishes the accused's deliberate intent to provoke and hurt Hindu religious sentiments and mock their faith. This act was not an isolated expression but one rooted in religious animosity aimed at dehumanising Hindu religious symbols. Furthermore, the derogatory caption, accompanied by the image, was designed to undermine and abuse Hindu beliefs, further establishing the deliberate nature of the act, making it a clear case of religiously motivated hate speech against Hindus. Hindu deities are central to the Hindu faith, and they are held in high reverence among the Hindu community. Any attempt to abuse or denigrate them stems from religious animosity towards Hinduism. In this instance, the derogatory comments and the obscene pictures made by the perpetrator were a direct attack on the sanctity of the Hindu faith. Acts like these are considered hate speech because they go beyond the realm of criticism or debates, seeking instead to denigrate a religious group and its revered deities. Instances of denigrating and abusing Hindu deities arise from entrenched religious animosity towards Hindus and their faith. In recent times, social media has increasingly become a platform for anti-Hindu hate, with derogatory comments, memes, images, videos, and messages targeting Hindu religious symbols, practices, and deities. Such content forms part of a broader pattern of Hinduphobia and religious hate speech online. In this case, the deliberate targeting and denigrating of revered Hindu deities by the perpetrator firmly establishes this act as religiously motivated hate speech, and it is therefore categorised under the hate crime database. Disclaimer: It is important to clarify that the report does not specify the exact date when the anti-Hindu post was posted. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on when the incident was reported in the media.