Hindu faith targeted with derogatory remarks by man in Hapur, Uttar Pradesh
Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
30 January, 2026
Case Summary
In Shahpur Chaudhary village in Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, derogatory remarks against the Hindu faith were made by a man on social media and in public places. The accused had also previously made objectionable comments during the consecration of an idol at the Shri Ram Temple in the village. Due to this, the villagers were outraged, and they went to the village council and complained about the accused. In response to this incident, the Panchayat ordered that the accused man be paraded around the village wearing a garland of shoes and be forced to apologise with folded hands. Following this, the villagers first garlanded the accused and then his mother with shoes and paraded them around the village. The video of this incident went viral on social media. As soon as the police administration became aware of the viral video, it caused a stir. Based on the accused's complaint, the police immediately registered a First Information Report against five men from the village and arrested four of them. According to the police, four youths, Anil, Amit, Sagar, and Vineet, who punished the youth on the Panchayat's orders, had been arrested. A case had been registered, and a search was underway for the fifth accused. Tension prevailed throughout the village due to this incident. The police began further legal action.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is being added to the tracker under the primary category- Hate Speech against Hindus. The subcategory 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. This case constitutes a clear instance of anti-Hindu hate speech motivated by religious animosity, as the perpetrator made derogatory remarks against Hinduism on social media and in public spaces. Such public denigration of Hinduism, a major world religion followed by over 1.2 billion people worldwide and held deeply sacred by its followers through daily rituals, festivals, and temple worship, amounts to hate speech by inciting contempt and hostility towards Hindus. This behaviour showcases the perpetrator's deep animosity towards Hinduism and its followers, making it a religiously motivated hate speech. Furthermore, the perpetrator also previously denigrated the idol consecration of Lord Ram in the village temple, which further reveals the depth of his hatred for the Hindu faith and community. Idol consecration (prana pratishtha) holds profound significance in Hinduism, marking the divine infusion into the murti, transforming it from stone into a living deity for worship. Making derogatory remarks against this sacred rite demonstrates his deep-seated religious animosity, amounting to an anti-Hindu hate speech. Both acts demonstrate that this was not an isolated incident but a pattern of the accused abusing the Hindu faith and its adherents. The villagers imposed a punishment, parading the perpetrator with a garland of shoes. Although illegal and criminal, this did not negate his prior hate speech against Hinduism and the Hindu community, confirming religiously motivated hate speech. Since this case met the parameters of a religiously motivated offence, it has been added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records the date of an incident based on when the crime occurs rather than when it is reported by the media. In this case, the media reported the incident on 30 January 2026. However, the report did not specify the exact date when the crime occurred. Hence, the media report date is being selected as the indicative incident date for documentation purposes only.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
