College student Azhan threatens Hindu girls with rape on social media; later apologises, says he was influenced by fellow Muslims

Case ID : a037773 | Location : India | Date of Incident : Thu, 17 October, 2024

Case ID : a037773

India

17 October, 2024

College student Azhan threatens Hindu girls with rape on social media; later apologises, says he was influenced by fellow Muslims

Hate speech against Hindus

Violent threats

Case Summary

A B.Tech student named Azhan Jahangir faced backlash after he threatened two Hindu girls, Pratiksha and Shreya, with rape on social media, using abusive language. When his comments began circulating widely, Azhan grew concerned about the potential impact on his future. In response, he posted a video apologising to the Hindu community and specifically to the girls he threatened, acknowledging that he had been influenced by certain individuals in his community. He stated he would no longer be active on social media, vowing to focus solely on his studies. In his video, Azhan expressed regret, asking for forgiveness with folded hands and even writing “Jai Shri Ram." The incident gained further attention after a user named Hindutva Knight raised concerns about whether Swami Vivekananda University, where Azhan studies, would take action, labelling his behaviour as a potential threat to women on campus. Following this, Azhan’s public apology video surfaced.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime under the category- Hate speech against Hindus. Within this category, the sub-category selected is- Violent threats. Violent threats, explicit, implicit or implied, is the most dangerous form of hate speech since it goes beyond discriminatory and prejudicial language to express the intent of causing harm to an individual or a group of people based on their religious identity and faith. There could be several different kinds of threats that are issued to Hindus based on religious animosity. An explicit threat would mean the direct threat of violence towards an individual Hindu, a group of Hindus or Hindus at large. Physical violence, death threats, threats of destruction of property belonging to Hindus and threats of genocide would mean explicit threats against Hindus for their religious identity. Implicit threats may not be a direct threat but implied through the use of symbols of actions – for example – in the Nupur Sharma case, other than explicit threats, there were also implicit threats when Islamists took to the streets to burn and beat her effigies. It implies that they want to do the same to Nupur Sharma – thereby is considered an implicit threat. Violent threats can be delivered in person, through letters, phone calls, graffiti, or increasingly through social media and other online platforms. It would be important to understand that a threat – explicit or implicit, online or offline – to an individual who happens to be a Hindu does not qualify as a religiously motivated threat. Such a threat, while vile and dangerous, could be owing to non-religious reasons and/or personal animosity. To qualify as a religiously motivated threat, it would need to exhibit an indication that the individual is being targeted for religious reasons and/or owing to his/her religious identity as a Hindu. This incident can be categorized as a religiously motivated hate crime, as Azhan Jahangir himself admitted in his apology video that his actions were influenced by radical individuals within his community. His threats of rape towards the Hindu girls, Pratiksha and Shreya, using abusive language, were not isolated or personal attacks, but were fueled by animosity toward Hindus, as he acknowledged being brainwashed by radical Muslims. This confession indicates that his behaviour was driven by religious hostility, making it clear that the threats were motivated by a deeper animosity toward Hindus. Such actions contribute to the broader pattern of religiously motivated hate crimes where individuals are targeted based on their religious identity.