Christian man tears Hanuman Chalisa in front of a Hindu crowd that he was trying to convert to Christianity
Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India 
9 August, 2023
Case Summary
A case of tearing Hanuman Chalisa inside a church surfaced in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Michael Mathew tore the sacred Hindu text, proclaiming the superiority of the Bible. He was telling the crowd that the only holy book in the world was the Bible and also said some very problematic things about the Hanuman Chalisa. The incident occurred in the Heera Nagar police station area during a prayer meeting on August 10, 2023. Rajkumar Sen, in his complaint, recounted encountering individuals seeking directions to the church from Dahod, Gujarat, under suspicious circumstances. Sen, along with others, intervened when they witnessed Mathew tearing the Hanuman Chalisa and promoting Christianity. The altercation escalated when protestors were expelled from the church by those present. Hindu organization workers present at the scene protested the incident, leading to police involvement. Six individuals were charged, and some were detained.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The sub-category under 'Predatory Proselytisation' relevant in this case is 'attempting to convert/converting by denigrating Hinduism'. It is evident from the details that the Christian evangelists denigrated Hinduism in front of the Hindu victims by tearing the Hanuman Chalisa, a Holy Book for a billion plus Hindus across the globe. Insulting Hinduism in attempts to brainwash Hindus against their religion, itself stems from the animosity against the Hindu faith. The other category that this case has been added to is 'attack on Hindu religious symbols' and the sub-category 'desecration of Hindu religious symbols'. Icons and symbols or a religious representation of a spiritual ideal are widely revered in Hinduism. Iconography is of vital significance in the Hindu milieu. It helps connect people’s spiritual beliefs with the real world. Iconography within the Hindu faith takes several shapes and forms. Murtis are of most significance to Hindus, to which daily rituals, prayers and offerings are done. Besides the murtis, there are several other symbols which have deep significance in the Hindu faith – the Om and Swastika for example. Since these Hindu religious symbols hold paramount importance in Hinduism, any desecration of symbols, icons, murtis, religious representations and manifestations, is driven by animosity towards the faith itself which manifests itself through these murtis, icons and symbols. Therefore, any desecration of these Hindu religious symbols and representations is considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. In several cases, Hindus are converted or an attempt is made to convert Hindus by denigrating their faith, Hinduism. In such cases, the Hindus associate with the non-Hindu perpetrators often by choice and then, the attempt to convert them by insulting their faith, showing the faith down etc begins. An example of this would be a non-Hindu gathering where the Hindus are attending the gathering of their own free will. However, once they attend the gathering, there is an explicit attempt to convert them by abusing their faith and hailing the faith of the perpetrator. The denigration of the Hindu faith is often based on misrepresentation of the Hindu faith, its doctrine and scriptures and insult to espoused traditions if not blatant lies about Hindu beliefs and ways. Such conversions or attempts at conversions are driven by animosity towards the Hindu faith and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
