Rahman celebrates death of 36 Hindu pilgrims in Uttarakhand bus tragedy, arrested
Almora, Uttarakhand, India 
4 November, 2024
Case Summary
The Uttarakhand police arrested one individual identified as Mohammad Ameer Rahman for mocking the death of around 36 Hindu pilgrims. The Hindu pilgrims died in a bus accident after it fell into a gorge in Kupi village near Marchula in Uttarakhand’s Almora. Rahman shared the image of the accident on Facebook and captioned it saying “Happy Diwali,” mocking the Hindu lives. He also put up a famous Diwali song in the background from the movie ‘Home Delivery’ starring Vivek Oberoi. The post enraged several locals and Hindu community people who complained against Rahman to the local police station. In the complaint letter, the locals and the Hindu community persons mentioned that the post had been deliberately put up to hurt the sentiments of the Hindus. It is believed that SP Paudi Lokeshwar Singh issued special orders to get the accused arrested.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the category of 'Hate speech against Hindus' and under this, 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 incident qualifies as a religiously motivated hate crime, as the accused, Mohammad Ameer Rahman, mocked the tragic deaths of Hindu pilgrims in a bus accident with evident disregard for the loss suffered by the Hindu community. By posting an image of the accident with the caption “Happy Diwali” and a celebratory song, Rahman’s actions reveal an underlying animosity toward Hindus, using the tragedy to deride them on a festival day sacred to Hindu beliefs. The timing and insensitivity of the post suggest a deliberate attempt to provoke and distress, fueled by an antagonistic attitude towards the Hindu faith and community. This behavior underscores the hostile intent, making it a clear case of hate crime rooted in religious animosity.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
