Case Summary

A Hindu woman was abused, assaulted, raped and forcefully fed beef by a Muslim man, Omar Rashid associated with the leftist media website, The Wire. Omar has also, in the past, been associated with prominent news organisations such as The Hindu and Outlook. The woman, who shared her story publicly, described the accused's abusive and predatory pattern of behaviour that she said has affected not only her but also many other women. According to the victim, Rashid presents a progressive and emotionally considerate image on social media, often portraying himself as a pet lover and a supporter of feminist causes. The woman stated that he uses this public persona to initiate relationships with women, inviting them to places like Lodhi Garden and engaging them in conversations about progressive politics and romance. The Hindu woman was new to Delhi and was younger than Rashid. She relied on Rashid to navigate social spaces and events in Delhi. Rashid used to introduce her at Press Club events as a "trophy friend". Their relationship was never publicly acknowledged by Rashid. She narrated how the relationship quickly escalated into a period marked by physical and sexual violence. Throughout the relationship, the Hindu woman was physically assaulted—pushed, kicked, slapped, and choked—and subjected to repeated sexual violence, including unprotected and violent sex against her will. She described episodes of hiding in the washroom, crying, and bleeding, as well as being forced to beg for forgiveness during and after these incidents. The account also described Rashid refusing to use protection during sex, leading to repeated pregnancy scares and health issues, which she had to manage in secret. The woman recounted being surveilled, having her social media censored, and being subjected to moral policing and degradation regarding her appearance and dietary choices. She narrated that Rashid forced her to consume beef as a "test of secularism" and took pleasure in her distress. Further, she described incidents where Rashid broke her possessions, some of which were gifts from her family and friends, as a means of exerting control and causing emotional harm. She recounted being filmed while distressed, with Rashid using these recordings to portray her as mentally unstable. The woman narrated that Omar always used to say that he would destroy her, including her family, anything little that she had earned. Omar, a Muslim man, always kept reminding the Hindu woman of her identity as a "non-muslim" in the Hindu Rashtra, and how this relation needed to be kept secret for the greater good of the muslim men. The woman noted that this made her keep quiet for the longest time. The woman concluded her statement by expressing that she has learned of other women who have experienced similar behaviour, framing her experience as part of a broader pattern. She calls on others to be aware and to stay safe, stating, "It is not #MeToo, this has always been #WeToo." This report is based solely on the account provided by the victim. Leftist website The Wire has acknowledged the serious allegations against their journalist, adding that they are conducting an inquiry into the matter. “The Wire has taken serious note of the grave allegations against Mr Omar Rashid, who has been contributing to The Wire as an independent journalist for the past couple of years. We will be conducting an enquiry as per relevant laws and procedures applicable in the matter and decide on how best to move forward to address the allegations raised on the post”, the note shared by The Wire read.

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Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under multiple categories as it has multiple religious markers. The first primary category selected here is- Attack on Hindu religious representation, and within this, the sub-category selected is- Defiling religious customs. Sanatan Dharma is not a religion of one book, which is to say that while it has religious scriptures that form the central tenets of the faith, there are several traditions followed through thousands of years, mostly passed from generation to generation orally. There are several such customs and traditions that are followed by various Hindus and Hindu sects. Defiling of these traditions and customs is a breach of an individual or group’s religious practices. Such practices can range from dietary restrictions like not eating non-vegetarian food for a certain period of the year, not eating non-vegetarian food at all, not eating beef since the cow is considered holy in Hinduism, the sanctity of religious customs followed in the house (like many ISCKON devotees), etc. Any malicious action leading to the breach of such traditions or defilement of these traditions owing to animosity towards the faith or for the sake of activism stems not only from the lack of faith in the religion itself but also from disregard for the faith of the devotees who follow the customs/traditions and implicit bias against the faith, the tradition itself. Since these specific traditions are central to the faith of the devotees of that specific sect of Hindus, any non-compliance with these traditional rules would be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. The second primary category relevant here is- Predatory Proselytisation. The sub-category selected is - Harassment, threats, coercion for conversion. Harassment covers a wide range of behaviours of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behaviour that demeans, humiliates, and intimidates a person, including threats and coercion. Harassment and threats, in this case, find their root on discriminatory grounds which has the effect of nullifying a person’s rights or infringing upon his freedom to exercise his right specifically owing to the victim’s religious identity. Verbal and physical threats and psychological or physical harassment are often used against Hindu victims because they choose to practice their professed religion. Religious harassment also includes forced and involuntary conversions by harassment, threats or coercion. Coercion includes intimidatory tactics like force-feeding a Hindu victim beef to convert to another religion, forceful circumcision etc. In several cases documented, non-Hindu perpetrators or those who harbour specific animosity towards Hinduism, harass victims simply based on their religious identity. Such cases often also include harassment to ensure the Hindu victim abandons his/her professed religion and adopts the religion of the perpetrator. Such cases where Hindu victims are harassed to convert to the perpetrator’s religion are rooted in animosity towards the victim’s religious identity and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. The other sub-category selected is - Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination, and within it, the tertiary categories selected are - Rape and sexual assault/harassment and Pattern of targeting Hindus. Religious brainwashing essentially means the often subtle and forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up their religious beliefs to accept contrasting regimented ideas. Religious grooming or brainwashing also involves propaganda and manipulation. It involves the systematic effort, driven by religious malice and indoctrination, to persuade “non-believers’ to accept allegiance, command, or doctrine to and of a contrasting faith. Cases of such grooming or brainwashing are far more nuanced than direct threats, coercion, inducement and violence. In such cases, it is often seen that there is repeated, subtle and continual manipulation of the victim to induce disaffection towards their own faith and acceptance of the contrasting faith of the perpetrator. While subtle indoctrination is widely acknowledged as predatory, an element which is often understated in such conversions or the attempts of such conversion is the role of loyalty and trust which might develop between the perpetrator and the victim. Fiduciary relationships are often abused to affect such religious conversion. For example, an educator transmitting religious doctrine of a competing faith to a Hindu student. The Hindu student is likely to accept what the teacher is transmitting owing to existence of the fiduciary relationship. The exploitation of the fiduciary relationship to religiously indoctrinate victims would also be included in this category. Since the underlying animosity towards the victim’s faith forms the basis of predatory proselytization, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. The other primary category selected is - Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. The sub-category selected is - Brainwashed and/or Groomed, and within it, the tertiary category selected is - Rape and sexual assault/harassment. In our database, we have not added incidents where women have converted to another religion of their free will and no allegations of forced/involuntary conversion have been made. However, there are certain cases of conversion where the consent itself is a result of the brainwashing or grooming of a minor by the non-Hindu perpetrator trying to victimise a woman for her Hindu religious identity. The phenomenon of grooming points to non-Hindu perpetrators identifying their Hindu victims’ vulnerabilities and exploiting them over months and sometimes years, to extract the supposed ‘consent’ in order to convert their religion. In most cases of grooming, the victims are minors or the grooming started when the victim was a minor. In other cases of grooming, the non-Hindu perpetrator brainwashes and grooms a minor victim to extract their trust and then proceeds to rape them repeatedly with the intent of converting them to their faith. It is pertinent to understand here that when the victim is a minor, the ‘consent’ to convert or enter into a romantic relationship with an adult itself is redundant – addressed by POCSO. While every case of conversion of a minor and incidents of establishing a physical relationship with a minor by an adult is a crime, for the purpose of this database, a case would be considered a hate crime only if there is a distinct religious angle to the grooming. For example, in the UK, if a Hindu minor is targeted by Pakistani grooming gangs, it would be considered a hate crime because the victims are specifically targeted owing to their non-Muslim religious identity with the perpetrators being Muslim. In other cases, if a Hindu minor is brainwashed into entering a physical relationship with the non-Hindu adult perpetrator and the family alleges grooming/brainwashing of the minor to convert her religion, it would form a part of this database. If the victim is a Hindu adult, the case would form a part of this database only if the victim herself says that she was brainwashed/groomed to convert her religion. However, if the victim is deceased (murdered or otherwise), the case would form a part of this database if her family/friends provided testimony that the victim was brainwashed/groomed to convert her religion. Since these crimes have a distinct religious angle where the victim is being targeted owing to her Hindu religious identity, these cases are considered a hate crime. The other primary category selected here is Hate speech against Hindus, and within 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 case has been added to the tracker under multiple categories due to the presence of several clear religious markers that demonstrate targeted hostility against the victim's religious identity. While the abuse includes horrific acts of rape, assault, and emotional torture, a key element that elevates it to a hate crime is the deliberate targeting of the victim’s Hindu identity. One of the most severe aspects of the case is the forced consumption of beef—a direct assault on her religious beliefs. Forcing beef consumption is a direct attack on this custom. Here, this method was used not merely to shame or hurt the victim but to intentionally defile her religious beliefs. This was not incidental but used by the perpetrator, Omar Rashid, as a tool of humiliation and psychological degradation, targeting the sacred dietary customs of Hindus. It qualifies as a deliberate act of defiling religious customs and constitutes a hate-driven attack on Hindu religious representation. Additionally, the accused’s repeated mockery of the victim’s Hindu beliefs, especially in forcing her to eat beef as a “test of secularism,” is not just psychological abuse—it is a religiously targeted act of derision and shaming. Using someone's faith as a weapon to demean, break down, and dominate them qualifies under the sub-category- Anti-Hindu slurs and mocking faith under Hate speech against Hindus. The ridicule of her dietary customs and portrayal of her distress as weakness reflect a clear pattern of contempt toward Hindu identity. Furthermore, the accused persistently reminded the Hindu victim of her “non-Muslim” identity in what he called a “Hindu Rashtra”, and used this to justify secrecy and dominance. This ideological manipulation and pressure form a classic pattern of predatory proselytisation, where the victim’s Hindu faith is not just ignored but actively erased, undermined, and ridiculed. This makes the act not just personal abuse but part of a religiously motivated hate crime. The pattern of coercion, including sexual violence, psychological manipulation, and forced secrecy, is compounded by the accused’s ideological positioning—as a public-facing progressive Muslim man, allegedly exploiting his platform and identity to prey upon a younger, socially dependent Hindu woman. This is not an isolated incident, as the victim herself notes that other women have faced similar abuse. Her case reveals a broader structure of targeted exploitation, where faith and power converge, making Hindu women particularly vulnerable. While sexual abuse alone is horrific and must be pursued with the full force of the law, the explicit religious desecration, ideological coercion, and use of faith as a means of subjugation clearly frame this case as a religiously motivated hate crime. It represents not just violence against a woman, but a targeted humiliation of a Hindu for her belief system, making it a grave instance of religious persecution, warranting inclusion in the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The report suggests that multiple women were targeted, but since one has come out in the open and spoken against it, we are keeping the victim count as one. Disclaimer: It is important to clarify that the woman has not provided an exact date of the beginning of her ordeal. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on when she shared her ordeal on social media.