Sudha Murthy labelled as ‘casteist’ for calling herself a “pure vegetarian”

Case ID : e97a253 | Location : India | Date of Incident : Tue, 25 July, 2023

Case ID : e97a253

India

25 July, 2023

Sudha Murthy labelled as ‘casteist’ for calling herself a “pure vegetarian”

Hate speech against Hindus

Anti-Hindu slurs, mocking faith

Case Summary

Sudha Murthy, the former Infosys Foundation chairperson, faced online backlash for revealing her habit of carrying vegetarian food while travelling due to concerns about utensil contamination. Critics, branding her 'casteist', linked her vegetarianism with Brahminism. Left-liberals accused her of discrimination, prompting a debate on food choices and caste. Asia Editor at The Independent, Rituparna Chatterjee and others labeled her 'casteist', while others defended her preference as personal choice, not caste-based. One ‘Grouchy Maxx’ shared a picture of the Prime Minister of Britain and Sudha Murthy’s son-in-law holding some non-veg food items as she wrote, “Someone tell Sudha Murthy not to touch her son-in-law, daughter and their kids.” The criticism reflects a misunderstanding of vegetarianism and its diverse reasons, not solely related to caste. For some, vegetarianism is simply a food preference; for others, it is associated with the Hindu belief of Ahinsa (nonviolence); and many Jains practice vegetarianism in accordance with their religious beliefs; this, however, does not imply that they discriminate against non-vegetarians. The backlash highlights hypocrisy regarding dietary preferences and religious practices like Halal certification, which is actually a practice discriminating against non-Muslims as it involves the imposition of their religious connotations on the ‘non-believers’.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the hate tracker under the prime category of 'Hate speech against Hindus'. Further, as per case details, the sub-category selected under the abovementioned prime category 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 stems out of inherent animosity and hates towards Hindus and their faith, therefore, it is categorised as hate speech targeted at Hindus specifically owing to their religious identity. The backlash faced by Sudha Murthy for her personal choice of carrying vegetarian food while traveling due to concerns about utensil contamination highlights a religiously motivated hate crime where her Hindu faith is mocked. Critics, particularly from left-liberal circles, linked her vegetarianism with casteism and Brahminism, accusing her of discrimination without understanding the broader context of vegetarian practices in Hinduism. For many Hindus, vegetarianism is rooted in the belief of Ahimsa (nonviolence), a principle that transcends caste and is practiced by various communities, including Jains. The online trolling, which labeled her as 'casteist,' ignored the cultural and religious reasons behind her dietary preference. Additionally, comments mocking her relationship with her son-in-law, who consumes non-vegetarian food, reflect an attempt to ridicule her personal beliefs and religious practices. This incident underscores a broader trend of targeting Hindu customs and values, while other religious dietary practices, like Halal, are accepted without question. The selective outrage against Hindu practices reveals a deep-seated animosity toward Hinduism, turning what is a personal choice into a platform for religious discrimination and mockery.