Insult to Hindu religious sentiments: Christian youth make anti-Hindu posts targeting Hindu deities
Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh, India 
10 October, 2025
Case Summary
In Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh, Hindu religious sentiments were insulted after objectionable statements were made against Hindu deities by a Christian youth named Hemant John. According to reports, Hemant John (22), a 12th-grade student from a missionary school in Kulpahar, Mahoba, made objectionable posts on social media targeting Hindu gods and goddesses. This led to widespread protests outside the school, with Hindu activists revealing that the missionary school was involved in promoting anti-Hindu activities and teaching the Bible to young students for religious conversion. It was also revealed that the students who wear a tilak on their foreheads are not allowed to enter the school premises. The situation escalated when the Kotwali police attempted to resolve the matter through an apology, while the Hindu activists demanded strict legal action against the accused. Subsequently, the police registered a case against Hemant John, arrested him, and sent him to jail. Deputy Superintendent of Police Ravikant Gaur stated that police took swift action in this case and labelled the incident as an attempt to disturb communal harmony. The objectionable posts have since been deleted, and the accused has tendered an apology.
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 constitutes a clear instance of anti-Hindu hate speech. The Christian youth, Hemant John, posted objectionable and offensive messages targeting Hindu gods and goddesses on social media. The derogatory remarks made by the accused were not mere expressions of personal opinion but reflected a disrespect and hostility towards Hinduism and its traditions. Although his posts were not made public and have since been deleted, the content and nature of his posts demonstrated a profound intolerance and disregard for Hindu faith and identity. Such remarks were aimed at demeaning and undermining Hindu beliefs. When an individual targets a community with offensive language and posts online, it signifies more than personal grievance—it exposes a systemic and deep-seated prejudice intended to sow discord and create hatred for the Hindu community. These acts are rooted in animosity toward Hindus and their faith, amounting to a clear instance of anti-Hindu hate speech. Even the police labelled the incident as an attempt to disturb communal harmony. Furthermore, it was also revealed that the missionary school in Kulpahar promoted the teaching of the Bible to young students and engaged in activities aimed at influencing them towards conversion. Students who wore a tilak on their foreheads were reportedly denied entry, and anti-Hindu activities were taking place. Such actions, combined with the objectionable social media posts by Hemant John, underscored a broader pattern of anti-Hindu bias within the school environment. Here, it is important to note that the religious conversion angle of this incident has been documented separately in the Hinduphobia Tracker. Since these actions represent a broader pattern of systemic religious coercion and conversion efforts, they have been recorded as a distinct case under the category of predatory proselytisation targeting Hindus. In contemporary times, social media has increasingly become a platform for anti-Hindu hate, with derogatory posts, memes, and messages targeting Hindu religious symbols, deities, and practices. Such content forms part of a broader pattern of Hinduphobia and religiously motivated online hostility. This deliberate targeting of Hindu beliefs and deities firmly establishes this act as a religiously motivated offence, and it is therefore being categorised under the hate crime database. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records the date of an incident based on when the crime occurred, rather than when it is reported by the media. In this case, media reports did not specify the exact date on which the offensive posts were made. Therefore, the date of the incident has been recorded based in when it was reported by the media - 13 October 2025.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
