Political party shares fake video alleging Hindu sages were eve-teasing
Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India 
23 October, 2024
Case Summary
On October 24, 2024, the Samajwadi Party posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) claiming that two Hindu sages in Ayodhya were caught harassing a young woman and were subsequently beaten by locals for their misconduct. The Samajwadi Party’s media cell used the video to accuse the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh of failing to uphold law and order, suggesting that "criminals in disguise as saints" were active under his administration. In their post, they drew comparisons to Hindu mythology, suggesting these "demons" were akin to the villain Ravana, disparaging the saints' appearance and alleging moral decay. Ayodhya Police, however, debunked the claim as false and clarified that no incident of eve-teasing had been reported. According to police statements, the video captured a clash between two groups on the street, reportedly triggered by the making of video reels. This encounter led to a heated argument and physical scuffle but was unrelated to any accusations of harassment. The police had taken two individuals into custody in connection with the incident. They issued a statement urging people not to spread misinformation, reiterating that the incident involved a routine altercation rather than any targeted harassment. The Samajwadi Party faced backlash from netizens, who accused the party of deliberately spreading fake news to malign the Hindu community and its religious figures. One user called for an FIR against the party's social media accounts for inciting communal disharmony, arguing that the false portrayal of Hindu sages was an act of hate-mongering.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the primary category 'hate speech' under the secondary category 'anti-Hindu subversion and prejudice'. Further, the case has been added in the tertiary category 'anti-Hindu fake news or downplaying'. Hate speech is defined as any speech, gesture, conduct, writing, or display that is prejudicial against a specific individual and/or group of people, which is leading to or may lead to violence, prejudicial action or hate against that individual and/or group. Media plays a specific and overarching reach in perpetuating prejudicial attitudes towards a community owing to unfair, untrue coverage and/or misrepresentation/misinterpretation, selective coverage and/or omission of facts of/pertaining to issues affecting a specific religious group. This type of bias can dehumanise the victim group, making it easier for others to justify harmful actions against them, which aligns with the objectives of hate speech laws aimed at preventing such harm. It is often observed that the media takes a prejudicial stand against the Hindu community driven by their need to shield the aggressor community which happens to be a numeric minority, however, is the one perpetrating violence against Hindus. For example, the media is often quick to contextualise religiously motivated crimes against Hindus, omit or misrepresent facts that point towards religiously motivated hate crimes, justify and/or downplay religiously motivated hate crimes or simply present fake news to stereotype Hindus. Such media bias leads to the denial of persecution and is often used to dehumanise Hindus, leading to justification for violence against them. For example, the media covered several fake allegations of Hindus targeting Muslims and forcing them to chant Jai Shree Ram. Most of these cases were proved false and fabricated after police investigation. These fake news reports were subsequently never retracted or clarified. Such fake news led to the justification of violence and dehumanisation of Hindus based on the argument that since Hindus targeted Muslims and forced them to chant Jai Shree Ram, the dehumanisation of Hindus and violence against them was par for the course and merely a retaliation. Such media bias leads to prejudicial portrayal of Hindus and offers a justification for violence against them and therefore, is considered hate speech under this category. In this case, the SP politician specifically chose to spread fake news showing Hindu Sadhus 'harassing women' in an attempt to prove that under the leadership of a Hindu saint (Yogi Adityanath), the morals of Hindu saints have been unleashed, leading to these "God-men" harassing women. Hindu saints many times practice celibacy and are pious men who generally practice detatchment from worldly pleasures and desires. With this fake news, the SP leader wanted to insult and mock Hindu saints in general while insulting their piety and morals. For that reason, this is being classified as fake news against Hindus.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
