Hindu religious sentiments insulted after Muslim man posted derogatory comments against Hinduism and Hindu community
Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India 
8 February, 2026
Case Summary
In the Kankarkheda police station area of Meerut district, Uttar Pradesh, Hindu religious sentiments were insulted after a Muslim man named Saeed posted derogatory comments against Hinduism and the Hindu community on social media. The comment resulted in widespread outrage among local Hindu residents. Following this, several Hindu activists, including Bajrang Dal official Nitin Bajrangi, reached the police station and submitted a written complaint demanding action. Acting on the complaint, the police arrested the youth, Saeed, and initiated questioning. Town Police Station in-charge Vineet Sharma stated that the matter was under investigation and that further legal action would follow based on the findings. Police presence was increased in the area to ensure peace and maintain public order.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is being added to the tracker under the primary category- Attack on Hindu religious representations. 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 blatant religiously motivated hate crime driven by deep-seated animosity against Hindus, as the Muslim perpetrator, Saeed, made derogatory comments against Hinduism and the Hindu community on social media. Hinduism is one of the world’s oldest living religions and is followed by over 1.2 billion people globally. It is deeply embedded in the daily lives of its adherents through prayer, temple worship, festivals, and sacred traditions. Public denigration of Hinduism on a mass platform such as social media went beyond individual expression and functioned as hate speech by fostering contempt and hostility towards a faith held sacred by millions. Such deliberate disparagement reflected ideological hostility towards Hindu religious beliefs, symbols, and practices, making the act inherently religious in nature. Simultaneously, the remarks targeted the Hindu community as a collective, exposing Hindus to ridicule, hostility, and social vilification. When such content was circulated online, it carried the potential to embolden others, triggering a cascade of similar abuses that normalised mockery of Hindus and reinforced prejudice. Social media amplification transformed the act from an isolated insult into a broader expression of anti-Hindu aggression, contributing to an environment where Hindus were portrayed as legitimate targets for abuse. In recent times, social media has emerged as an increasingly potent platform for anti-Hindu hate, rife with derogatory memes, videos, and messages targeting Hindu religious symbols, practices, and deities. This content feeds into a broader pattern of Hinduphobia and religious hate speech online. Here, the intentional targeting and disparagement of Hinduism and the Hindu community by the Muslim perpetrator firmly categorised this incident as religiously motivated hate speech. Therefore, this incident has been recorded in the Hate Crime Database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incident dates based on when a crime occurs, rather than when media outlets report it. However, in this case, media reports did not state the exact date when the accused posted these derogatory remarks. Therefore, the date of the incident has been recorded as 9 February 2026, the date when the media reported the case.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
