Hindus maligned as Muslim man circulates fake video blaming Hinduism for dowry assault by Muslim husband
India 
10 August, 2025
Case Summary
Anti-Hindu fake news was spread on social media by a Muslim man named Amjad. The accused shared a video of a man beating his wife for not paying dowry, falsely presenting it as a Hindu man assaulting his Hindu wife. In this attempt, the accused also mocked Hinduism. Later, media fact-checking revealed that both the victim and the perpetrator were Muslims. According to media reports, the Muslim accused posted this fake news on X (formerly Twitter) from his account named "Amjad ASR". In his viral tweet, he mocked Hinduism and the Hindu community and wrote: “In Hinduism, women are revered as goddesses, yet it is these very goddesses against whom atrocities are committed by the same people. These are the very individuals who claim that Muslim girls’ freedom is taken away by wearing the hijab.” In reality, the victim in the viral video was a Muslim woman named Ravin Begum from Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir, who was brutally beaten by her husband, Azam Ali. He was angry with his wife for not receiving Rs 10 lakh in dowry. While Azam was violently assaulting his wife, a neighbour recorded the incident on video and informed the police. Police arrived at the scene, rescued the woman, and admitted her to the hospital. A case was registered against the woman's in-laws, and Azam was taken into custody. All reports identified the man as Azam Ali and his wife as Ravin Begum. Azam worked as a soldier. He tortured his wife because his demand for money and a car as dowry was not met. Media reports also featured the Muslim victim’s parents, who stated that Azam and his family tortured their daughter for dowry every day. The in-laws also attempted to poison her. ASP Sandeep Bhatt of Udhampur confirmed that both the victim and the accused in this case were Muslims.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Hate Speech against Hindus. Within this, the subcategory selected is- Anti-Hindu subversion and prejudice. Within this, the tertiary category selected is- 'Anti-Hindu fake news or downplaying' and 'Mislabelling/ Misrepresentation of the perpetrator's religion as Hindu'. Hate speech is defined as any speech, gesture, conduct, writing, or display that is prejudicial against a specific individual and/or group of people, which is leading to or may lead to violence, prejudicial action or hate against that individual and/or group. Media plays a specific and overarching reach in perpetuating prejudicial attitudes towards a community owing to unfair, untrue coverage and/or misrepresentation/misinterpretation, selective coverage and/or omission of facts of/pertaining to issues affecting a specific religious group. This type of bias can dehumanise the victim group, making it easier for others to justify harmful actions against them, which aligns with the objectives of hate speech laws aimed at preventing such harm. It is often observed that the media takes a prejudicial stand against the Hindu community driven by their need to shield the aggressor community which happens to be a numeric minority, however, is the one perpetrating violence against Hindus. For example, the media is often quick to contextualise religiously motivated crimes against Hindus, omit or misrepresent facts that point towards religiously motivated hate crimes, justify and/or downplay religiously motivated hate crimes or simply present fake news to stereotype Hindus. Such media bias leads to the denial of persecution and is often used to dehumanise Hindus, leading to justification for violence against them. For example, the media covered several fake allegations of Hindus targeting Muslims and forcing them to chant Jai Shree Ram. Most of these cases were proved false and fabricated after police investigation. These fake news reports were subsequently never retracted or clarified. Such fake news led to the justification of violence and dehumanisation of Hindus based on the argument that since Hindus targeted Muslims and forced them to chant Jai Shree Ram, the dehumanisation of Hindus and violence against them was par for the course and merely a retaliation. Such media bias leads to prejudicial portrayal of Hindus and offers a justification for violence against them and therefore, is considered hate speech under this category. The other 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 stands as a clear example of an anti-Hindu hate crime in the form of fake news designed to vilify Hindus and propagate misinformation about the Hindu community. At its core, the incident revolves around a Muslim man who shared a video on social media falsely depicting a case of domestic violence as committed by a Hindu man against his Hindu wife. In reality, both the perpetrator and the victim in the video were Muslims. Such deliberate misrepresentation is not just a case of routine social media irresponsibility; rather, it is a calculated attempt to incite animosity, foster communal disharmony, and damage the reputation of the Hindu community. To begin with, it is crucial to recognise the pivotal role played by the Muslim accused, Amjad, who actively spread this fake news. By deliberately mislabeling the religion of the perpetrator, stating that a Hindu man was responsible for beating his wife over dowry, the accused sought to attribute negative social practices and violence to Hindu society at large. This act went beyond personal ignorance or confusion; it was a conscious effort to weaponise an incident, using it not to promote justice or outrage against domestic violence, but instead, to target Hindus. This act of misleading the public and portraying Hindu culture as inherently abusive to women showcases the malicious intent of the Muslim perpetrator to denigrate Hinduism and the Hindu society. The way the Muslim accused framed his message on social media reveals the intent behind the act. Claiming, “In Hinduism, women are revered as goddesses, yet it is these very goddesses against whom atrocities are committed by the same people,” he did not simply misreport the facts. He invoked a stereotype, suggesting hypocrisy and moral failure as a defining feature of Hinduism itself. Such rhetoric does not merely spread misinformation; it fans the flames of hatred against a group whose only “fault” here was their religious identity. Such language used to mock the Hindu faith and the Hindu community is a result of deep-seated religious animosity. This exploitation of a real victim’s suffering for anti-Hindu propaganda is, itself, a form of hate speech. This type of fake news has far-reaching, dangerous consequences. The deliberate misrepresentation of the perpetrator’s and victim’s religion feeds into pre-existing prejudices and can lead to further stigmatisation and ostracisation of Hindus, both online and offline. This case highlights the systematic prejudice faced by Hindus due to such misinformation. Falsely portraying Hindus as perpetrators of heinous acts sows distrust and hatred among other communities, while painting Hindus in an unjustly negative light before the wider society. In summary, the deliberate sharing of anti-Hindu fake news, specifically mislabeling a Muslim perpetrator as Hindu, and using the occasion to mock Hindu beliefs and practices, is a textbook case of hate speech by way of misinformation. Given that this case meets the parameters of religiously motivated hate speech, it is being added to the hate crime database.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
