Hate speech spewed against Hindu priests by Indian author
Goa, India 
5 January, 2025
Case Summary
A prominent Goan writer and Sahitya Akademi awardee Datta Damodar Naik, an Atheist, was booked by the Goan police on the charges of hurting the sentiments of the Hindu community. In a regional news channel, Naik made derogatory remarks about Shree Samsthan Gokarn Partagali Jeevottam Math, in Partagali, South Goa. Naik addressed the priests of the temple as 'Looters' and 'Dacoits'. Two police complaints were filed against Naik, one at Canacona police station by Satish Bhat and the other at Panaji police station by Jayesh Thali. Police lodged an FIR against Naik under BNS section 299 (deliberate and malicious acts that are intended to insult or outrage the religious feelings of any class of citizens). Satish Bhatt, of the complainant stated, “In an interview, Naik referred to temple priests as dacoits and looters. In our culture, we respect everyone’s opinion, whether someone is an atheist or not. But through these remarks, he has deliberately hurt religious sentiments and insulted our culture.” Jayesh Thali another complainant stated, “While belief in God is a personal matter, making such public statements branding priests, temples and monasteries as looters is an offence under the law as it hurts religious sentiments and has led to social unrest,” Naik in response to the FIR stated, “I am a staunch atheist and I have been in public life for several years. At a recent event, I said that temple priests looted money from people. Later, I clarified that I meant to say they ‘extracted’ money. It is true, temples are extracting money. I questioned what was built with this money? Have they built any schools, hospitals? Where is all this money going? Anyway, I am not scared. What will they do? Arrest me? I have the freedom to express my opinion and I am not afraid. What about my sentiments as an atheist? The space for rational thinking and dialogue is shrinking,”
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the hate tracker under the prime category- 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. The religious markers in this incident that make it a religiously motivated hate crime are primarily found in the derogatory and inflammatory nature of the remarks made by Datta Damodar Naik. In his comments, Naik referred to the priests of the Shree Samsthan Gokarn Partagali Jeevottam Math as "Looters" and "Dacoits." The Shree Samsthan Gokarn Partagali Jeevottam Math holds significant religious and cultural importance for Hindu devotees, particularly in Goa. It is one of the prominent mathas (monastic institutions) that follows the Dvaita Vedanta philosophy, founded by the renowned Hindu scholar and philosopher Madhvacharya. The math is known for its deep spiritual roots, and its priests play a central role in preserving and propagating the traditions of Hinduism. For the devotees, the math and its priests are revered as spiritual leaders and guides. In this context, any derogatory remarks directed at the priests or the religious institution can be seen as an attack on the very heart of the religious and cultural practices of the Hindu devotees, thus causing significant hurt to their sentiments. Given that the underlying motivation for these actions stems from contempt for the Hindu religion, the incident involving Datta Damodar Naik’s derogatory remarks about the Shree Samsthan Gokarn Partagali Jeevottam Math and its priests has been categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
