Hindu deities denigrated during sacred religious event in Bikaner, Rajasthan
Bikaner, Rajasthan, India 
16 February, 2026
Case Summary
In Bikaner, Rajasthan, Hindu deities were denigrated by a singer named Prabhu Premi. The accused made derogatory and objectionable remarks against Hindu deities during a satsang, a Hindu religious event. According to media reports, during a satsang held on 17 February 2026, in Mundad village of Bikaner, the accused made derogatory remarks against Lord Ram, Mother Shabari, Goddess Saraswati and Lord Vishnu. This sparked outrage amongst the Hindu saint community and Hindu organisations. Following this, on 24 February 2026, the saint community and Hindu organisations reached the Shri Balaji police station, demanding the immediate arrest of the accused and threatening an indefinite sit-in. They stated that the station in charge, Om Prakash Gora, initially hesitated to register the report, escalating the tensions. Police registered cases against the accused at Shri Balaji and Jasrasar police stations under charges of inciting religious sentiments, brought the accused to the station, where the crowd surrounded him. Outside the station, a heated exchange took place between the saints and the accused. Saints questioned: "Which Ramayana have you read about Ram? Why speak on scriptures?" Prabhu Premi replied that he had commented based on hearsay from social media and some books, adding, "Reading Rajneesh and Osho books had corrupted my mind. What I said was heard and read on social media." Saints sternly said, "Wearing the saffron robe of Sanatan (Hinduism) and speaking against Sanatan is unacceptable." The accused publicly apologised with folded hands, stating, "From today, I will neither wear saffron nor insult any deity. Today is my new birth." Saint Lakshminarayan Maharaj, present at the scene, said that respect for symbols of Sanatan Dharma is paramount: "Saffron is a symbol of sacrifice and faith. If someone wears it and speaks against Sanatan, the saint society will not remain silent." Thereafter, the saints asked the accused to remove his saffron robe, which he did publicly amidst the crowd. Saints clearly stated, "You are not worthy of saffron and Sanatan." Police stated that cases registered at both stations would proceed as per law, with impartial investigation and further action based on facts. An extra police force was deployed to maintain law and order, and no violent incident was reported despite the tension.
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. Another primary category selected in this case is- Attack on Hindu religious representations. The subcategory selected is- Defiling religious customs. Sanatan Dharma is not a religion of one book, which is to say that while it has religious scriptures that form the central tenets of the faith, there are several traditions followed through thousands of years, mostly passed from generation to generation orally. There are several such customs and traditions that are followed by various Hindus and Hindu sects. Defiling of these traditions and customs is a breach of an individual or group’s religious practices. Such practices can range from dietary restrictions like not eating non-vegetarian food for a certain period of the year, not eating non-vegetarian food at all, not eating beef since the cow is considered holy in Hinduism, the sanctity of religious customs followed in the house (like many ISCKON devotees), etc. Any malicious action leading to the breach of such traditions or defilement of these traditions owing to animosity towards the faith or for the sake of activism stems not only from the lack of faith in the religion itself but also from disregard for the faith of the devotees who follow the customs/traditions and implicit bias against the faith, the tradition itself. Since these specific traditions are central to the faith of the devotees of that specific sect of Hindus, any non-compliance with these traditional rules would be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. This case is a clear instance of religiously motivated hate speech as the accused made denigrating and derogatory remarks against Hindu gods and goddesses during a satsang, a revered Hindu religious event. The accused made offensive remarks against Lord Ram, Mother Shabari, Goddess Saraswati, and Lord Vishnu. Lord Ram embodies righteousness, duty, and moral virtue as the central figure of the Ramayana epic, revered by Hindus as the seventh avatar of Vishnu and an ideal king whose life exemplifies dharma. Mother Shabari represents unwavering devotion and selfless service, known from the Ramayana for offering tasted berries to Lord Ram out of pure love, symbolising the power of bhakti (devotion) over ritualistic worship. Goddess Saraswati signifies knowledge, wisdom, music, and the arts, worshipped as the divine consort of Brahma and the remover of ignorance, invoked at the start of any intellectual or creative pursuit. Lord Vishnu preserves the universe and upholds cosmic order through his avatars, including Lord Ram, and is adored as the sustainer of life and righteousness in Hindu theology. Any act of abusing these deities is a clear affront to Hindu religious sentiments. Hindus revere these deities, worship them daily through rituals, prayers, and festivals, and consider them profoundly holy embodiments of divine virtues. The fact that the perpetrator denigrated them with derogatory remarks showcases that he intended to offend the religious sentiments of the Hindu community and cause them emotional hurt, making it a clear case of religiously motivated hate speech. Abusing or deriding Hindu deities constitutes hate speech driven by religious animosity, as it directly targets the core spiritual beliefs and icons that billions of Hindus hold sacred. The accused committed this act during a satsang, a sacred Hindu gathering focused on devotional singing, scripture recitation, and spiritual discourse to foster divine connection and religious piety. In Hinduism, satsang holds profound significance as a purifying assembly where devotees immerse themselves in the divine through bhajans and teachings, elevating the soul and strengthening faith in the presence of fellow worshippers. Making such derogatory remarks when Hindu devotees were gathered at a satsang showcases the perpetrator's deep-seated religious animosity aimed at hurting the sentiments of Hindu devotees during one of their most revered religious events. This deliberate timing amplifies the offence, as it strikes at the heart of a space meant for spiritual upliftment, transforming a haven of reverence into a site of desecration. Desecrating such a holy and pious event in this manner amounts to religious animosity and a hate crime because it violates the sanctity of Hindu worship practices, inflicts collective trauma on the Hindu community, and seeks to intimidate believers by attacking their most intimate religious expressions. Such an act meets the criteria of a hate crime by demonstrating prejudice against Hindus, exploiting a vulnerable religious setting to maximise harm and sow division. Since this incident meets the parameters of a religiously motivated offence, it has been added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
