College professor throws Hindu student off stage for greeting audience with "Jai Shri Ram" at cultural fest
Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India 
19 October, 2023
Case Summary
A student at ABES College of Engineering in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, faced reprimand from an assistant professor, Mamata Gautam, during a cultural festival and student induction program. The professor criticised the student for greeting the audience with "Jai Shri Ram," claiming it was inappropriate for the event. The incident gained attention after a video of Gautam yelling at the student went viral, where she told him, “Why did you raise the slogan of Jai Shri Ram? This cannot be allowed. Out. Get Out.” The student defended himself, stating he was merely responding to similar calls from the audience. The video showed students on stage greeting with “Jai Shri Ram,” which prompted the individual on stage to reciprocate. This led the entire college stadium to cheer “Jai Shri Ram,” causing discomfort to Mamata Gautam, who then expelled the student from the stage. Mamata Gautam later posted a video defending her actions, claiming she had no issues with the slogan itself, and even stated she observes a fast during the Navratri festival. In an attempt to justify her behaviour, Gautam invoked her Hindu identity, stating that her actions were not based on opposition to Hindu traditions. Following public outrage, ABES College management suspended both Mamata Gautam and Professor Shweta Sharma on October 21, 2023, for their handling of the situation. College Director Dr Sanjay Kumar Singh issued a statement, revealing that an inquiry committee was formed to investigate the matter. After reviewing the situation, the committee recommended the suspension of the professors for their "irresponsible" behaviour.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
As per case specifics, it has been placed under the sub-category- 'Restriction on expression of Hindu identity', under the prime category- 'Restriction/ban on Hindu practices' of the hate tracker. An example of the state-affected prejudicial and targeted orders against the Hindu community would be a government denying the right of a Hindu or a group of Hindus to hold a religious procession owing to the animosity of non-Hindu groups. Denial of the religious right of the Hindus to assuage the non-Hindu group which harbours animosity to a point where it could lead to violence against Hindus is not only a failure of law and order but is a prejudicial order against Hindus, denying them their fundamental rights to express their religious identity. An example of a hate crime against Hindus by a non-Hindu would be a non-Hindu institution forcing its Hindu employees to abandon religious symbols that a Hindu would wear as an expression of faith owing to inherent prejudice against the faith professed by the victim or a non-Hindu group of people restricting a Hindu group from constructing a place of worship simply because the demography of the area in which the temple is being built is dominated by non-Hindus. Such actions are driven by religious animosity and/or prejudice against Hindus and their faith and would therefore be categorized as a hate crime. Here, a College professor reprimanded a student for greeting other students with 'Jai Shri Ram'. He was embarrassed in front of a room full of students and faculties for his innocuous actions. "Jai Shri Ram" is a common Hindu slogan that honours Lord Ram, one of the most revered gods in Hinduism. It is often used as a greeting, a chant during religious ceremonies, and an expression of devotion. Reprimanding someone for greeting others with the "Jai Shri Ram" slogan is a clear act of religious intolerance. It suggests a bias against the student's expression of their religious identity, which is problematic, especially in settings like educational institutions where freedom of expression should be respected. It violates one's fundamental right to freedom of religion, which includes the right to express one's religious beliefs openly. It also sends a message of intolerance and exclusion to the broader community. Reprimanding and harassing someone or subjecting them to violence due to their religious beliefs or expression can be classified as a hate crime because the motivation behind the act is religious bias, which in this case was displayed by the teacher of the college, which is why this case has been included in the hate tracker.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Complaint not filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
female
Sources 
