Attack on Hindu religious sentiments: Sikh preacher posts derogatory videos denigrating Hindu deities on social media
Ambala, Haryana, India 
3 November, 2017
Case Summary
In Ambala, Haryana, derogatory videos targeting revered Hindu deities had been posted on social media by a Sikh man named Harjit Singh Ragi, who was a preacher of Sikhism. In his videos, the accused made obscene remarks against Hindu gods and goddesses. According to reports, the incident occurred in 2017. Harjit Singh Ragi created many objectionable videos about Lord Krishna, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Shiva, who are considered three of the most revered Hindu gods. Following these acts, Viresh Shandilya, who was the head of the Anti-Terrorist Front India, an anti-terrorism organisation and Vishwa Hindu Takht, a Hindu organisation, filed a complaint against Harjit Singh Ragi with the former Commissioner of Police, Ambala, Mr R.C. Mishra. Upon investigation, the police at Ambala City Police Station registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Harjit Singh Ragi under Section 295 of the Indian Penal Code, which pertains to acts intended to outrage religious feelings. Viresh Shandilya stated that the Ambala police had arrested the accused and that he had been out on bail for a significant period. Viresh Shandilya further explained that Harjit had filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court to quash the FIR that had been registered against him, but the High Court dismissed his petition. Later, he publicly apologised to Lord Krishna, Lord Shiva, and various other Hindu deities, as well as the Hindu community worldwide, admitting that he had wrongly used derogatory language about Hindu gods and goddesses. Subsequently, the accused submitted a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, offering an unconditional written apology. The High Court ordered the appropriate trial court in Ambala city to record the statements of both Viresh Shandilya, the complainant, and Harjit Singh Ragi, the accused. On the day of the hearing, Viresh Shandilya appeared before Judge Shivdutt Sharma with his legal representatives, Sumit Sharma and Shubham Malhotra, and provided his statement. In court, Viresh Shandilya acknowledged that Harjit Singh Ragi had apologised for his obscene and derogatory remarks against Hindu deities, and he declared that he forgave him in the interest of promoting harmony between the Hindu and Sikh communities.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Hate Speech against Hindus. 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 anti-Hindu hate speech that constitutes a grave violation of the religious sentiments of millions of Hindus, especially when it targets the most revered deities within the Hindu faith. Hindu deities such as Lord Krishna, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Shiva are not merely figures from religious texts; they are central living embodiments of divinity deeply woven into every facet of Hindu life, worship, and identity. Countless temples, rituals, and daily prayers are dedicated to these deities, and for many Hindus, any act of disrespect towards them is not just offensive but deeply wounding on a religious and personal level. For generations, these gods have been venerated through sacred texts, festivals, and pilgrimages that sustain the spiritual fabric of Hindu society. Acts that deliberately insult or abuse Hindu deities are regarded by the Hindu community as direct attacks upon their faith. Such actions go far beyond mere dissent or criticism; they represent targeted contempt directed at what is most holy and precious to Hindus. Hindu tradition upholds a deep ethos of respect and tolerance, but it draws a clear red line at the desecration and public humiliation of its gods and goddesses, seeing it as an act driven by hate, division, and malice. When individuals resort to offensive speech or content that purposely demeans Hindu deities, this must be recognised as a hate crime in every sense. Hate crime is not limited to physical violence alone; it includes any action or communication that seeks to degrade or threaten a community on the basis of their faith, beliefs, or symbols. Anti-Hindu hate speech thus constitutes not only an affront to the deities themselves but also to the dignity, peace, and safety of the entire Hindu community. In such cases, the perpetrators directly incite communal disharmony and propagate religious intolerance, which endangers social harmony and mutual respect in a pluralistic society. Given these circumstances, the case concerning the creation and dissemination of derogatory material by Harjit Singh Ragi categorically meets the parameters of an anti-Hindu hate speech targeting the Hindu community. Accordingly, this incident is being formally recorded in the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: It is pertinent to state that the Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based squarely on the date when the crime is committed, not by the date when the event is subsequently reported by the media. In this case, the available media sources do not provide an exact date of the offence but state only that the crime occurred in 2017, with the relevant media report being published on 4th November 2025. In the absence of a precise date, Hinduphobia Tracker has used an indicative date of 4th November 2017 as the date of the incident. This serves purely as a provisional measure for documentation and as an estimate of when the crime occurred, based solely upon the information currently available.
Case Status
Case adjudicated
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Sikh Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
