Islamists attempt to implicate Hindus in the rape of a minor Muslim girl when the perpetrator was a Muslim man
Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, India 
2 May, 2024
Case Summary
On April 27 2024, an 11-year-old Muslim girl was abducted and raped in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh. On May 4, after the news gained traction, Islamists on social media falsely blamed the Hindu community for the crime. They shared a video on social media platforms and claimed that three Hindu men were responsible for the rape. The Islamists used derogatory language against the Hindu community, with one individual even claiming that Hindu gods are rapists. However, contrary to these claims, the perpetrator was identified as a Muslim man named Nadeem. The police investigation revealed that Nadeem was responsible for the crime, debunking the false allegations against the Hindu community.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been placed in the tracker as a religiously motivated hate crime under the prime category- Hate speech against Hindus. Within this, two sub-categories have been selected as per case details. The first is- Media bias with 'Mislabelling/Misrepresentation of perpetrator's religion as Hindu' selected as the tertiary category under this. 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 second sub-category selected under the above-mentioned prime category 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 incident from Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, illustrates how a crime was falsely manipulated to blame the Hindu community when actually the crime was perpetuated by a Muslim individual. On April 27, 2024, a Muslim girl was abducted and sexually assaulted, and Islamists on social media quickly spread misinformation, falsely accusing Hindu men of the crime. However, a police investigation revealed that the perpetrator was actually Nadeem, a Muslim man. This highlights how false narratives were weaponized by the Islamists to vilify not just an individual but the entire Hindu community. Furthermore, these Islamists deliberately used inflammatory language, including derogatory remarks about Hindu deities, clearly intending to provoke Hindus and wound their religious sentiments. In Hinduism, deities are revered as sacrosanct, and any insult or disrespect toward them is considered sacrilegious. The derogatory language used in this case not only targeted the Hindu faith but also reflected a deep-seated animosity against Hinduism. The tactics used by Islamists in this case go beyond merely spreading misinformation; they represent a calculated effort to frame Hindus for a crime they did not commit, while simultaneously exploiting religious sentiments to incite communal hatred. This pattern of behaviour demonstrates the profound hate that some Islamists harbour toward Hindus and Hinduism, which is why this case has been included here.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
