Insult to Hindu sentiments: Offensive remarks made against Hindu deities on social media by an Ambedkarite
Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, India 
5 July, 2025
Case Summary
In Piparwar village of Sonbhadra district, a man named Ravi Shankar, associated with the Bhim Army, was arrested for making derogatory remarks against Hindu deities in a video that he posted on social media went viral. According to reports, the incident took place when Bhim army workers were going ot Gwalior for a demonstration related to an Ambedkar statue. During this, the accused Ravi Shankar recorded the video making objectionable and indecent comments against Hindu deities, which he also shared on social media. As the video went viral, it drew sharp criticism from the public, thus prompting swift action by the police. As of the date of writing this report, the accused was arrested by the police under Sections 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 353 (2) (statements conducing to public mischief) of the BNS. The investigation was ongoing.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of: - Hate speech against Hindus. Within it, the sub-category 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 has been added to the tracker because objectionable and indecent statements were made against Hindu deities by a Bhim member named Ravi Shankar. He further posted the video of the same on social media to mock and insult Hindus and their faith. Hindu Deities are an integral part of the Hindu religion, and any attempt to mock the revered Hindu deity is born out of animosity towards Hinduism. Although the exact wording of his statement has not been made public but since it triggered outrage from the public, resulting in prompt police action, one can gauge the gravity of those statements. Such remarks are not isolated expressions of personal opinion; they are part of a broader pattern of derogatory rhetoric intended to marginalise, stereotype, and ultimately dehumanise Hindus based on their faith. This type of hate speech seeks to instil fear and inferiority within the targeted group. In recent times, social media has increasingly become a platform for anti-Hindu hate, with derogatory memes, videos, and messages targeting Hindu religious symbols, practices, and deities. Such content is recognised as part of a broader pattern of Hinduphobia and religious hate crimes online. This deliberate targeting of revered religious icons firmly establishes this act as a religiously motivated hate crime, therefore, it is being categorised under the hate crime database. It is important to mention here that the accused was an Ambedkarite and a member of the Bhim Army. Ambedkarism, as a political ideology, often expresses disdain for Hindus and their gods under the pretext of 'fighting casteism'. There have been numerous similar incidents in which Ambedkarites have displayed contempt for Hinduism, making it apparent that their ideology is less about uplifting the Dalit community and more about expressing hostility towards Hindus and their faith. Such incidents are not isolated, but form part of a deliberate pattern of attacks on Hindu deities and Hinduism, motivated by deep-seated intolerance towards the Hindu community. Moreover, while the Bhim Army presents itself as a champion of Dalit rights, its actions and affiliations often contradict this claim. Dalits are very much Hindus, yet the Bhim Army frequently targets Hindu symbols, festivals, and practices, including those held sacred by Dalits themselves. This pattern suggests that the organisation’s agenda is less about genuine Dalit upliftment and more aligned with broader anti-Hindu narratives that seek to divide and weaken Hindu society from within. This becomes particularly apparent when the Bhim Army aligns with leftist and Islamist platforms, where identity politics is weaponised against Hindus. In such spaces, the micro identities of caste, region, and language are secondary; what matters most is religious identity. It is the Hindu identity, regardless of caste, that often becomes the target of animosity. As seen in cases where Dalit families were attacked for displaying Hindu symbols or worshipping deities, the hostility stems not from caste differences, but from a disdain for Hindu religiosity. For example, on May 19, 2020, reports emerged in which a Dalit family in Bihar’s Kishanganj district accused the local Bhim Army unit of attacking them for their beliefs, desecrating a temple as they object to their reverence for Hindu deities and saffron flags. Similarly, on June 29, 2021, in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, a Hindu named Saurabh Sharma was reportedly attacked by Bhim Army members over political differences. The assailants used swords and rods, causing severe injuries, and threatened to eliminate the Brahmin community from the area. Moreover, Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad has repeatedly made statements and taken positions that reflect his anti-Hindu stance. For instance, he has publicly endorsed conversion as a political weapon, invoking B.R. Ambedkar’s decision to leave Hinduism, and has actively supported movements that call for a rejection of Hindu festivals and practices. In fact, Chandrashekhar Azad's political trajectory has strongly focused on building a Dalit-Muslim alliance, a strategy that became particularly visible during his active participation in the anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) protests that culminated in the Delhi anti-Hindu Riots 2020. His brand of politics, under the banner of Dalit-Muslim unity, has contributed to narratives that vilify Hindu traditions and exacerbate targeted attacks against Hindus. Thus, by attacking Hindu symbols and aligning with forces hostile to Hinduism at large, the Bhim Army effectively turns against the cultural and spiritual traditions of the Dalit community itself. In doing so, it reinforces the very forces of division and religious antagonism that marginalise Dalits, not as a caste, but as Hindus. This contradiction reveals that, despite its stated mission, the Bhim Army’s trajectory increasingly serves an anti-Hindu agenda.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
