Hate Speech against Hindus: Indian politician makes prejudicial remarks against Hindus while praising the Muslim community
West Bengal, India 
2 July, 2025
Case Summary
In West Bengal, prejudicial remarks were made against the Hindu community by Trinamool Congress MLA Savitri Mitra. She criticised the Hindu community for "doing politics" while, at the same time, glorifying and praising Muslims, openly stating that she loved Islam and the Muslim community. According to reports, the accused, Mitra, made these comments while addressing a preparatory meeting for the TMC Martyrs’ Day in Malda. Mitra’s remarks against the Hindu community sparked a major controversy in West Bengal. She stated that Muslims do not engage in politics based on religion. She also asserted that only Hindus do so. She further said that the TMC preferred Muslims because they did not protest against them. Savitri Mitra said, “BJP is seeking votes in the name of Ram. If we can say Jai Shri Ram, why can’t we say Jai Jagannath? Are Ram and Jagannath different? We like Islam the most. Muslims don’t protest. But Hindus are doing politics over religion.” The TMC MLA also mocked the Hindu community by saying that Hindus do not have a system for learning about their religion, whereas Muslims could learn Arabic and the Quran. She remarked, “We don’t teach the Bhagavad Gita anywhere. However, there is a system for Muslims to learn Arabic and read the Quran. BJP will not get votes in the name of Hindutva.” Following this, the BJP strongly criticised the TMC MLA for her open appeasement of Muslims. BJP West Bengal posted on X, “Openly mocking Sanatan Dharma, belittling the Gita, and pandering to vote-bank politics, this is the real face of TMC. This isn’t just an insult to Hindus, it’s a direct attack on our culture, our traditions, and our identity.” BJP’s Amit Malviya also stated that Savitri Mitra was mocking the Hindu community and the Bhagavad Gita, targeting Hindus for “doing politics” and openly favouring one religion over another. He further stated that this was not secularism, but institutionalised Hindu hatred. South Malda BJP General Secretary Amlan Bhaduri said that Trinamool leaders repeatedly insulted Hindus in an attempt to appease minorities. However, the TMC MLA defended her comments, stating that TMC was a 'party of Muslims'. When asked about the BJP’s criticism, she said, “The BJP says Trinamool is a party of Muslims. We are Muslims, and the BJP is a party of Hindus.”
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Attack on Hindu religious representations. Within this, 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. In this case, the prejudicial remarks made by Savitri Mitra are a clear and troubling example of hate speech directed against Hindus. By publicly criticising the Hindu community for “doing politics over religion” while simultaneously glorifying the Muslim community and Islam, she reinforced harmful stereotypes about Hindus. Her statement that “we like Islam the most” and that Muslims “don’t protest” was not just a personal preference, rather, it was a loaded political message, delivered by an elected representative, that singled out the Hindu community as being 'problematic' for their religious and political engagement, while praising the Muslim community for their supposed passivity. Such rhetoric goes beyond mere political posturing. When an elected MLA uses her platform to mock Hindus and belittle the lack of institutionalised Hindu religious education compared to Islamic systems, she actively undermines the legitimacy and dignity of the Hindu belief system. She said, “We don’t teach Bhagavad Gita anywhere. But there is a system for Muslims to learn Arabic and read the Quran,” was not a neutral observation; rather, it was a direct attempt to portray Hindus as lacking religious depth or unity, while holding up Muslims as a model community. Such acts seek to marginalise, ridicule, and delegitimise the Hindu community of West Bengal in the public sphere. It is also important to highlight that Hindus in West Bengal have faced increasing marginalisation and targeted violence under the Mamata Banerjee’s TMC government. There have been numerous reports of Hindu persecution, including attacks on religious processions, restrictions on Hindu festivals, and a pattern of Muslim appeasement politics that has left the Hindu community feeling unsafe and unheard. In such a climate, Mitra’s open declaration that the TMC “likes Muslims the most” and her defence that “we are Muslims, and BJP is a party of Hindus” is not just divisive, it is dangerous for the safety, well-being and the rights of the Hindu community. It sends a message that Hindus are second-class citizens in their own state, and that their concerns and identities are less worthy of respect or protection. Such statements cannot be dismissed as mere political rhetoric. When a leader in power openly mocks and belittles the Hindu community while praising Muslims, it emboldens those who seek to discriminate and persecute the Hindu community, creating a hostile environment for Hindus. Since this case highlights the prejudicial anti-Hindu remarks made by the TMC MLA, this case is being added to the hate crime database.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
State and Establishment
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
female
Sources 
