Muslim man posts ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ on Facebook in the aftermath of India's retaliation to Pahalgam Hindu massarce
Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India 
11 May, 2025
Case Summary
In Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, a Muslim man named Mohammad Sajid was arrested after he posted a video on Facebook showing a group of youths waving the Pakistan flag and expressing support for Pakistan. The incident happened amidst the ongoing India-Pakistan conflict. The post, captioned “Pakistan Zindabad,” was shared amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. The content provoked anger among the local population, particularly members of Hindu organisations. Himanshu Patel, a representative of one such organisation, lodged a formal complaint with the local police, urging immediate action against the accused. Responding, the police apprehended Sajid. Shortly after his arrest, a video surfaced on social media in which Sajid is seen in a distressed state, weeping and shouting anti-Pakistan slogans, including “Pakistan Murdabad,” in the presence of the authorities. According to the police, Mohammad Sajid works as a tailor by profession. During the investigation, several other inflammatory videos were discovered on his mobile phone. At the time of writing this report, the case was under further investigation. India carried out ‘Operation Sindoor’ on May 7, 2025, destroying nine terrorist camps in Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The Pahalgam Hindu massacre was a deadly Islamic terrorist attack that took place on April 22, 2025, in the Pahalgam region of Jammu and Kashmir, where Islamic terrorists specifically targeted Hindu tourists, asking their religion before executing them. India strongly condemned this act of Islamic terrorism, particularly emphasising the brutality of targeting people solely based on their religious identity. The military operation was a firm retaliation aimed at dismantling the terror camps in Pakistan harbouring and training Islamic terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam Hindu massacre.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker un the primary category of - Hate speech against Hindus. The sub-category selected here 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. The incident involving Mohammad Sajid can be viewed as a hate crime when examined in the context of recent events and the content of his actions. Sajid's video, captioned "Pakistan Zindabad" and showing youths waving the Pakistan flag, was posted during a time of heightened national tension following the Pahalgam Hindu massacre and India’s retaliatory Operation Sindoor. The massacre, in which Islamic terrorists specifically targeted and killed Hindu pilgrims based on their religion. In this emotionally charged environment, Sajid’s public celebration of Pakistan, a country that has always provided a safe haven to Islamic terrorists and also those responsible for the massacre of Hindus in Pahalgam, can be interpreted as a deliberate provocation that appears to glorify or endorse the acts of those responsible for the massacre. The content of the video and its timing suggest a motive that goes beyond political dissent. By praising Pakistan in the wake of its military escalation and the brutal targeting of Hindus, Sajid’s actions implicitly support a hostile nation and, by extension, the anti-Hindu violence that prompted India's military response. This messaging had the potential to incite communal unrest and deepen divisions, particularly among local Hindu communities who perceived the act as an affront to the victims of the Pahalgam massacre. Furthermore, the discovery of additional inflammatory videos on Sajid’s phone during the investigation indicates a pattern of behaviour that may reflect deeper religious animosity. Taken together, these elements fit the profile of a hate crime, as the act appears motivated by and directed toward provoking communal tension and reinforcing religious hostility. Here, one could argue that the slogan of Pakistan Zindabad can be considered anti-India and pro-Pakistan, but not anti-Hindu. However, raising slogans such as Pakistan Zindabad not only show pro-Pakistan sentiments, but also anti-Hindu sentiments. It is pertinent to note that Muslim extremists harbour specific animosity towards Hindus and their faith and also view India as a Hindu collectivity. The very basis of the partition of India was that the Muslims believed that Islam was a nation unto itself, which could not survive with a Hindu collectivity like India. Further, Muslims often believe in transnational unity - or the Ummah - which is a belief that all Muslims across the world are a nation unto themselves and therefore, loyalty as far as the nation-state is concerned lies with the Muslim collectivity and not with a Hindu collectivity like India. This would also mean that the slogan Pakistan Zindabad is about hailing a Muslim collectivity and an expression of transnational loyalty and anti-Hindu sentiments. For that reason, any slogan which expresses transnational loyalty, faith in the Ummah, is automatically a slogan against Hindus and the Hindu collectivity. Thus, this case is added to the hate crime database.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
