Case Summary

Several derogatory remarks targeting Hindu gods, Hinduism, Hindu practices, and Hindutva were made on social media by a leftist journalist and columnist named Vishal Vaibhav. The accused is currently working for Newslaundry, a rabid leftist news outlet, and was also a former Assistant Professor of Physics at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT‑D). According to media reports, some screenshots of his tweets began circulating on X (formerly Twitter), exposing his anonymous handle under the name “@PanchgavyaG (Panchgavya Guru).” From this account, he employed disparaging and abusive language towards Hindus and their faith. In some of his posts, he specifically mocked the use of cow dung (gobar) and cow urine (gomutra) in traditional Hindu practices, employing crude and offensive expressions. In one post, he stated, “Gobar jihad ch*tiye!… Jakar gomutra pee,” meaning, “Gobar jihad, idiot! Go drink cow urine.” He also used the slur “cowf*cker” against Hindus. It is important to note that the cow is an animal that is highly revered in Hinduism. The accused also vilified Hindutva, the political movement aimed at protecting Hinduism and the Hindu community, by repeatedly referring to it as “d*ckless Hindutva.” According to The Commune, the accused in one of his X posts further abused Lord Hanuman and Hindus by writing, “Cowf*ckers (referring to Hindus) also like to f*ck monkeys (referring to Lord Hanuman).” In another tweet, he mocked a pro-Hindu Twitter page named Jaipur Dialogues and denigrated the holy cow by writing: “Saar my mom and dad love to have a threesome with the cow.”

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Why it is Hate Crime ?

The primary category selected in this case is- 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 case is a clear instance of hate speech against Hindus. The accused made several derogatory remarks using slurs directly related to cows. In Hinduism, the cow holds a place of deep reverence as a symbol of motherhood, purity and sustenance, playing a central role in both spiritual and everyday religious life. Yet the accused chose to mock these sacred traditions by using jibes such as “gomutra” and “gobar jihad.” These expressions are routinely deployed by anti‑Hindu voices to humiliate Hindus for their religious identity, their practices, and their faith. The accused also used the abusive term “cowf*ckers” to refer to Hindus. This slur is a direct insult to the Hindu community, striking at the core of their faith and ridiculing an animal in which they invest deep reverence and sanctity. By using such profanity, the accused plainly exhibited hatred for Hinduism and attempted to demean Hindu religious beliefs. In other posts, the accused went further in his abuse by suggesting obscene acts involving cows, such as stating that Hindus have threesomes with cows. Such remarks are vile, degrading, and rooted in immense hatred for Hindus, their presence, traditions, and customs. They amount to deliberate denigration of sacred symbols and practices, turning religious faith into a target of ridicule. The abuse extended even to Hindu deities. The accused stated that “cowf*ckers also f*ck monkeys,” directly referring to Lord Hanuman while simultaneously slurring Hindus as “cowf*ckers.” This attack not only desecrated the dignity of a sacred Hindu god but also mocked the Hindu community by presenting it as engaged in obscene acts with its own deity. Hindus highly revere their deities. Such language is not criticism but a grotesque attempt to humiliate and desecrate what Hindus hold holy. Such language is rooted in hostility and hatred for the Hindu faith, making it an anti-Hindu speech. Finally, the accused also denigrated Hindutva by using obscene slurs against it. 'Hindutva' is often used as a euphemism to make the targeting of Hindus more palatable. Hindutva is essentially a unifying ideology for Hindus, which became imperative for Hindus to find and preserve their cultural identity, which was being eroded and attacked due to Islamic invasions, British colonisation, Christian theological impositions and conversions. Hindutva is not a destructive ideology, as some attempt to portray, but one that is used as a unifying edifice for Hindus. By mocking both Hindu beliefs and the very movement aimed at protecting Hindus, the perpetrator's words showcased the full depth of his hostility. Taken together, the deliberate mockery of sacred practices like the use of cow products in rituals, the abusive insults against cows, the obscene remarks about Hindus and their deities, and the slurring of Hindutva demonstrate beyond doubt that this was hate speech motivated by animosity towards Hinduism, Hindu deities, Hindu culture, and the Hindu community. As this incident fulfils multiple parameters of an anti-Hindu hate speech against Hindus, it is being added to the hate crime database in the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records the date of an incident based on when the crime occurred rather than when it was reported by the media. However, in this case, the accused abused Hindu gods in multiple tweets and posts spread over a long period of time, not on one specific date. Hence, for the purpose of record‑keeping, we are assigning the date of 15th September 2025—the date on which the media report was published—as the indicative date of the incident.