Hindu community targeted; sacred religious symbol mocked by Indian politician
Jammu and Kashmir, India 
8 April, 2025
Case Summary
During the assembly session of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly, a Muslim politician targeted the Hindu community. During the proceedings, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Mehraj Malik stated that Hindus commit various sins while wearing a tilak, adding that they engage in theft and alcohol consumption. His exact words in the assembly were, “Hindu tilak laga ke paap karta hai, chori karta hai, sharab peeta hai.” The comments led to uproar in the house, prompting the Speaker to adjourn the session. Members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vocally opposed Malik’s remarks, with MLA Vikram Randhawa declaring that such statements constituted abuse of Hindus and would not be tolerated. BJP legislators demanded an apology and indicated that further action might be pursued. This incident marked the second occasion in recent weeks. In a separate public address the previous month, he had stated that Hindus would not shut down liquor shops as they consumed alcohol during festivals and weddings.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of- Hate Speech against Hindus. Under this, 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 incident constitutes a hate crime as it involved targeted hate speech against Hindus, rooted in religious animosity. The AAP MLA’s remarks in the assembly directly mocked a sacred Hindu practice — the application of tilak — by associating it with immoral and criminal behaviour such as theft and alcohol consumption. Such statements go beyond political disagreement or criticism and aim to insult and vilify Hindus collectively based on their religious identity. By ridiculing a visible and deeply symbolic religious practice, the comments sought to demean Hindu beliefs and reinforce negative stereotypes, thus contributing to the larger pattern of anti-Hindu slurs. Also, the speech reflected an entrenched bias against Hindu religious customs and drew upon established tropes historically used to marginalise and dehumanise the Hindu community. As such, the remarks fall squarely within the category of hate speech and represent a deliberate act of religious denigration, making the incident a hate crime.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
