Muslim man kills Dalit Hindu cop, NGO on social media subverts the truth to mislabel aggressor as 'upper caste Hindu'
London, England, United Kingdom 
27 June, 2023
Case Summary
On June 28, 2023, a Pakistani Twitter handle named ‘South Asian Human Rights Watch (@SAHR_Watch)’ that claims to be a non-governmental and non-profit organisation based in London, courted controversy after it tried to pass off a murder accused named Zarif Ansari as an ‘upper caste Hindu individual.’ In a tweet, it alleged, “In a shocking incident that has sent shockwaves across the nation, a retired Dalit PAC inspector was brutally beaten by an upper caste Hindu individual. The heart-wrenching assault sheds light on the prevailing discrimination faced by Dalits in India.” ‘South Asian Human Rights Watch (@SAHR_Watch) also shared a video wherein the accused, identified as one Zarif Ansari, could be seen bludgeoning the victim to death. The true facts of the case as per reports are that the deceased was identified as a retired Dalit PAC police inspector named Garibdas. Zarif believed that the victim had an affair with his wife. On May 18, he launched an unprovoked attack on Garibdas while the victim was sitting and chatting with a shop owner. The incident took place in Sikhera village in the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. After leaving Garibdas in a pool of blood, Zarif went to the Sikhera police station and surrendered his weapon. A police complaint was filed against the perpetrator by the victim’s family, following which a case was registered. It is thus clear that while the victim was a Dalit man, the murderer was a Muslim and not an ‘upper caste Hindu individual.’
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the hate tracker under the prime category of 'Hate speech against Hindus'. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Media bias, under which the tertiary category chosen is- Mislabelling/Misrepresentation of perpetrator's religion as Hindu. Media bias- 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 Pakistani handle @SAHR_Watch falsely portrayed Zarif Ansari, a Muslim man who brutally killed a Dalit cop in Muzaffarnagar, as an "upper-caste Hindu." This deliberate misrepresentation reflects a clear case of media bias, driven by an agenda of discrediting and vilifying Hindus. By falsely attributing the crime to a Hindu perpetrator, the narrative not only attempts to stoke internal caste tensions but also shields the actual assailant, Zarif Ansari, from accountability due to his religious identity. This tactic of mislabelling the perpetrator’s religion is rooted in animosity toward Hindus and their faith, aiming to deflect blame and propagate a distorted image of Hindu society. Such acts of biased reporting are part of a larger effort to marginalize and misrepresent Hindus, turning what is essentially a criminal act into a communal narrative, further fueling hatred and division. This bias reflects the deep-seated hatred that leftists and Islamists harbour against Hindus and their religion, making it a case of religiously motivated hate crime.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
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