Muslim occult practitioner abducting minor Hindu girl portrayed as Hindu 'Tantrik' by media

Case Summary
Rashid, a Muslim occult practitioner from Bahroda village in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, abducted a 17-year-old Hindu girl. The girl’s father lodged a complaint at Kithore police station, accusing Rashid, a father of six, of luring his daughter. The family reported that she left home around 4 AM, taking ₹5.93 lakh in cash, eight tolas of gold jewellery, and expensive clothing. A local villager witnessed her leaving with Rashid. The incident gained media attention, but multiple Hindi news outlets referred to Rashid as a “Tantrik,” a term typically linked with Hindu practices, without highlighting his Muslim identity. For example, Aaj Tak and Dainik Bhaskar used “Tantrik” in their headlines without mentioning Rashid's religion. ETV Bharat included his name but paired it with the term “Tantrik.” TV9 mentioned that Rashid was a Muslim but still used the word “Tantrik” in its report. Hindustan also used the term without disclosing Rashid’s religious background.
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 subversion and prejudice. Under this, the tertiary categories namely, 'Anti-Hindu fake news or downplaying' and 'Mislabelling/Misrepresentation of perpetrator's religion as Hindu', have also been selected. Hate speech is defined as any speech, gesture, conduct, writing, or display that is prejudicial against a specific individual and/or group of people, which is leading to or may lead to violence, prejudicial action or hate against that individual and/or group. Media plays a specific and overarching reach in perpetuating prejudicial attitudes towards a community owing to unfair, untrue coverage and/or misrepresentation/misinterpretation, selective coverage and/or omission of facts of/pertaining to issues affecting a specific religious group. This type of bias can dehumanise the victim group, making it easier for others to justify harmful actions against them, which aligns with the objectives of hate speech laws aimed at preventing such harm. It is often observed that the media takes a prejudicial stand against the Hindu community driven by their need to shield the aggressor community which happens to be a numeric minority, however, is the one perpetrating violence against Hindus. For example, the media is often quick to contextualise religiously motivated crimes against Hindus, omit or misrepresent facts that point towards religiously motivated hate crimes, justify and/or downplay religiously motivated hate crimes or simply present fake news to stereotype Hindus. Such media bias leads to the denial of persecution and is often used to dehumanise Hindus, leading to justification for violence against them. For example, the media covered several fake allegations of Hindus targeting Muslims and forcing them to chant Jai Shree Ram. Most of these cases were proved false and fabricated after police investigation. These fake news reports were subsequently never retracted or clarified. Such fake news led to the justification of violence and dehumanisation of Hindus based on the argument that since Hindus targeted Muslims and forced them to chant Jai Shree Ram, the dehumanisation of Hindus and violence against them was par for the course and merely a retaliation. Such media bias leads to prejudicial portrayal of Hindus and offers a justification for violence against them and therefore, is considered hate speech under this category. The religious marker in this incident lies in the deliberate use of the term "Tantrik" by the media, which is typically associated with Hindu religious practices, to describe Rashid, a Muslim occult practitioner. This choice of language serves to obfuscate the perpetrator's Muslim identity and, in effect, whitewashes the crime by connecting it to a term commonly linked with Hindu practices, rather than accurately reflecting his religious background. By referring to Rashid as a “Tantrik” without clarifying his Muslim identity, the media outlets create a misleading narrative that distances the perpetrator from his actual faith, potentially diverting attention from the fact that the crime involved a Muslim individual exploiting a Hindu family. This strategic use of terminology reflects a broader media bias that seeks to downplay or conceal the religious identity of perpetrators when they are Muslim, while simultaneously emphasizing the religious identity of Hindu individuals in similar circumstances. The media's failure to highlight Rashid's Muslim identity, coupled with their use of a term more closely linked to Hindu practices, demonstrates a clear bias, distorting the truth and minimizing the communal aspect of the crime. This biased reporting not only misrepresents the facts but also perpetuates an agenda of shielding certain communities from scrutiny, while disproportionately focusing on others.

Case Status
Unknown

Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
N/A
Perpetrators Gender
unknown