Deliberate attack on Hindu beliefs: abusive remarks made towards Hindu deity and Brahmins on social media
Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India 
28 June, 2025
Case Summary
In Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, derogatory remarks were posted on social media targeting a Hindu deity, Lord Shiva, and the Brahmin community by two individuals. According to media reports, the incident surfaced when the Etawah Police took action over a Facebook post that targeted the religious sentiments of the Hindu community. The post was made by two accused, namely Nandan and Nandkishore Maurya, who had made abusive comments about Lord Shiva and the Brahmin community on Facebook. Acting promptly on a complaint from Sub-Inspector Sunil Kumar, the police registered a case, arrested both accused, and initiated legal proceedings. Station Officer Dhananjay Singh stated that anyone attempting to disrupt communal harmony or post objectionable comments against any religion or community online will face strict police action. Both accused were charged under various sections of the BNS and were produced before a court.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Hate Speech against Hindus. Within this, 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. This incident constitutes clear hate speech against Hindus by the perpetrators, characterised by deliberate and public expressions intended to insult and provoke the religious sentiments of the Hindu community. The abusive comments targeting Lord Shiva were designed explicitly to abuse and demean Hindus and their core religious beliefs. Hindu deities hold a central place in the Hindu faith, with Lord Shiva being one of the most revered deities. Any attempt to mock or insult Hindu deities is rooted in religious animosity towards Hinduism itself. In this case, the derogatory remarks represent a direct and calculated attack on the sanctity of the Hindu religion. This was not an isolated or misguided outburst but a premeditated effort to undermine Hinduism and the wider Hindu society. Such actions are part of a broader pattern intended to disrespect and diminish the Hindu faith, driven by entrenched hostility and disdain for Hindus and their beliefs. Here, the perpetrators also made derogatory comments targeting the Brahmin community. While abuse directed solely at Brahmins might be perceived as intra-caste conflict, however, in this case, the inclusion of offensive language directed against a revered Hindu deity demonstrates a far wider hostility towards the entire Hindu community. By utilising the Brahmin community as a scapegoat, the accused effectively masked a deeper anti-Hindu animus. The hateful language used was, in reality, aimed at the Hindu community as a whole through euphemistic targeting. This speech, therefore, transcends caste-based disputes, constituting a religiously motivated hate speech against Hinduism and the Hindu community. Such acts exceed the bounds of criticism or debate, deliberately denigrating a religious group and its sacred deities. The abuse and denigration of Hindu deities stem from entrenched religious hostility towards Hindus and their faith, making it an instance of religiously motivated hate speech. In recent years, social media has increasingly become a vehicle for anti-Hindu hate, with derogatory memes, videos, and messages attacking the Hindu community, their religious symbols, practices, and deities. This content forms part of a broader and deeply concerning pattern of Hinduphobia and religious hate speech online. The deliberate targeting of Lord Shiva and the Brahmin community in this incident firmly warrants its inclusion in the hate crime database.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
